Take the England job Jake
27 Jun 2006
If Jake White is offered the England job, he would be a fool to turn it down.
Let’s assess the situation. White inherited a Springbok squad at it lowest in the history of the game. He walked into a Springbok set-up with the brand and image around that brand at an all-time low point following the scandals of 2003, including the infamous Kamp Staaldraad.
Through it all he turned the Springboks into a winning combination that earned respect through its efforts on the rugby field. Twice in four occasions he beat the All Blacks and twice he lost in the last few minutes in New Zealand.
He did this despite minimal co-operations from the provinces, absolutely no co-operation from the provincial and regional coaches and with limited co-operation when it came to selecting black players for provincial and Super 14 duty. He did this despite warnings from his medical team that many of his players would break down in 2006 if they continued to operate at maximum in the Super 14. He did this, despite having to justify his selections and game plan strategy to a committee, whose rugby members had achieved no success as national coaches. He did this with constant bickering from ill-informed government sources. He did this with an enforced quota system in place. You could write a book of the obstacles he first had to beat in his own country before focusing on the opposition.
White does not have a technical rugby department at SARU. An organisation that has seven Communications and Marketing employees has one computer analyst to assist White and forwards coach Gert Smal. That is the total of the technical department.
Hell, he’d be a fool to stick around when he has to justify a game plan to a Board of Directors, who in turn break the news to him that they have no authority, even to make a recommendation to the President’s Council that he should stay. This, bear in mind, is the same Board who made a recommendation that the Spears should be canned as a concept. They made this recommendation to a President’s Council who had on eight occasions voted for the Spears inclusion. When it came to the Spears debacle, the Board had authority. When it comes to White, they have none?
Why was he even asked to make a presentation to a bunch who have no decision-making authority. Instead, 14 provincial presidents will decide White’s future when most of them can’t even guarantee you that their unions will financially survive the year. As it stands, nine of those 14 provincial unions would have been closed down if they were operating in the real business world. And of the five so-called big ones, only three are financially strong. That’s the state of the game in this country and the blokes who will decide on White’s continuation in SA Rugby include the kind who give up their official duty of representing South Africa at a test at Twickenham in return for a laptop! Come on, how does White take the views of these guys seriously.
They have no interest in the national coach or the well-being of the national team. Any deal made must benefit the respective provincial union.
It is noble of SARU president Regan Hoskins to say the union won’t stand in White’s way. It is a comment also devoid of urgency. In any business you fight for an asset and White is an asset to this country. You only have to assess what he has done in the last two and a half years.
But allowing him to go would simply be in keeping with an organisation that has perfected the art of pointing the shotgun at both feet and then pulling the trigger to see if it still hurts.
Everyone raves about New Zealand and their vision in appointing Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith as a kind of holy trinity to guide the Kiwis. Guess what, South Africa had that in place in 1997. Nick Mallett, Alan Solomons, Heyneke Meyer, Jake White and Pieter de Villiers were all on the management in 1997. Yes, the management that guided the Boks to a 52-10 win in Paris, a record 29-11 against England at Twickenham and a record 68-10 against Scotland in Edinburgh.
This team went 16 matches unbeaten and add to the one win under Carel du Plessis, the Boks equalled the world record for successive test wins.
Within 18 months the provincial presidents had it in for Mallett and whatever he had built was broken down. They used the excuse that he criticised the price of test match tickets and a fortnight after beating the All Blacks 46-40 at Ellis Park, he was gone.
Sadly, most supporters shrugged and moved on. It is why we will never be number one, but always be chasing number one.
White, like Mallett, has become too successful and hence too powerful for the provincial presidents. It is why there is little resistance to him going.
Jake, take the English offer and in an ideal world you will come back to South Africa as head coach of the Lions in 2009 and score a famous series win against the Boks.
And when you do, please toast those 14 provincial presidents who run the game in South Africa.
1,026 Comments
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27 Jun 2006, 18:49 pm
1000!
27 Jun 2006, 18:49 pm
1000!!
27 Jun 2006, 18:50 pm
Joune Staal
27 Jun 2006, 18:50 pm
Groot the champion!
27 Jun 2006, 18:50 pm
Myne, myne, myne – Brakpan ruuuuuuuules!!!
27 Jun 2006, 18:51 pm
Sorry, die siver ster gaan aan daai ander groot blou bul ondersteuner, Smiley!!!
27 Jun 2006, 18:51 pm
gbsmile,
skitterend. Dit was die moeite werd.
27 Jun 2006, 18:52 pm
geniet dit ek moet nou gaan. REGTIG.
27 Jun 2006, 18:52 pm
Nag manne en maninne, ek weet ek’s goed, ek weet dit laaaaaankal!!
27 Jun 2006, 18:54 pm
It is 3 am and it is way past my bed time luckly I am sick so I dont need to work later on.
Bronchitis does the trick but I have bruised ribs from coughing.
Good night all.
Kiss Kiss
27 Jun 2006, 18:56 pm
Dankie, Thank You, Kea Leboga, Niabonga, Domo Arigato, Mercy…….have yourselves a ball!!
Off to dinner I go…..and what’s after!!
27 Jun 2006, 19:06 pm
Jake is truly a brilliant coach and has firm strong interests in playing good rugby and not being knocked around by anyone – although I was a little surprised by his ‘admiration’ of BvR. However I feel that SA Rugby missed out on the oppurtunity of having one Cheeky Watson playing rugby for his country, and due to some stupid personal reason, Jake will not include Luke Watson in his squad. Although I am a huge admirer of Jake White and his abilities as a coach, I would almost prefer to see Luke Watson playing springbok rugby than have JW as the coach, so I see a win win with him going overseas. He gets loads of moola, and I get to see Luke playing with the passion all rugby players should play with when dressed in green and gold, as well as astounding skills and commitment.
27 Jun 2006, 19:27 pm
Hiers ek weer, hiers ek weer met my blou broek voor jou deur…….
En ek wil jou hê, en ek sal jou kry (Curry Cup)
Fark, I’m just playing around, dinner’s not ready yet!!
Damn I’m hungry!!
27 Jun 2006, 19:30 pm
Get Lost Jake & take the plodder Snyman with you!
27 Jun 2006, 19:31 pm
Couchie,
He should take more than Snyman with him!!
He Should definately take Gert Smal & Alistair Coetzee as well, bloody plonkers!!
27 Jun 2006, 19:36 pm
OK, OK, dinners finally ready, nobody wants to talk to me……….
I’m going to eat and play some couchrugga with the wife………..heheheh
27 Jun 2006, 19:50 pm
force jake to stay lets see wat bigg has to say……..ah ah
27 Jun 2006, 20:02 pm
Sport in SA is becoming a joke……… just read this next article … If I was Jake or any rugby player now I would start looking if perhaps I have relatives abroad , SA will never be a power in rugby ever again , Read this:
Springbok rugby coach Jake White should quit, the chairman of parliament’s portfolio committee on sport said on Tuesday.
SABC radio reported Butana Komphela as citing White’s failure to select black rugby players to play for South Africa in last Saturday’s Test against France, which the Springboks lost.
Komphela accused White of not being committed to the South African Rugby Association’s transformation charter.
“As he is saying he wants to go, we are saying as the committee in parliament, that he could have left yesterday so that progress could be made in rugby in this country.”
Komphela said White had been “stifling” the inclusion of black players into the team with the rationale that the existing team was already a “winning team”.
“Its not about a winning team. Its about a winning team that has the support of the country behind it,” said Komphela.
“We are battling, to make rugby to be a sport that has the general support of this country.” – Sapa
27 Jun 2006, 20:03 pm
Jake is as good as gone.
R20 mill for two years opposed to what??? R3 mill for two years?
Don’t forget job security, SA will drop kick him in a second if he looses a few more and the way things are going, he will.
BOLLOX… UTTER BOLLOX.
There is noqualified coach to take over should JW go, at least not in SA anyway.
27 Jun 2006, 21:18 pm
I have been reading Mark Keohane columns for a long time and enjoy his forthrightness.
However I cannot agree with him seeking to always want to expose others shortcomings. It seems where Keo is there is controversy.
Jake White has done very well but it seems that his environment is making things unbearable. Not to say that he has not made mistakes. Jake should continue into TriNations and at least take the boys to the World Cup. He deserves at least that. My concern is more: what value have his lieutenants added?
27 Jun 2006, 21:32 pm
Will he go or will he stay? Jake White’s future is headline news today, with a position in England as either coach or director of rugby hotly tipped. But as I understand from various sources (mostly wearing raincoats and dark glasses), Jake is almost certain to stay on for now, with contract negotiations well underway, and the coach firmly in Cape Town, rather than having clandestine meetings at Heathrow. If any South African takes either of the England positions, it’ll be Nick Mallett, who is on the RFU’s shortlist, but even that’s far from certain; of more immediate interest is the make-up of what could be a very different Tri-Nations squad. Announcement due later this week; expect changes, but don’t hold your breath for Luke Watson.
27 Jun 2006, 21:35 pm
GBS Rugga over?
27 Jun 2006, 21:42 pm
On the news tonight they say Jake have fly out to england on monday night that why the team is not released yet.Dit he gone to Cobus Visagie? or for the job?
27 Jun 2006, 22:06 pm
Another site makes it clear he is locked in advanced negotiations with SARU.
You pays your money and makes your choice!
27 Jun 2006, 23:26 pm
Most of you sum up what is wrong with SA rugby. Lets forget the politics for a second, it is you fickle supporters that only support your team when it is winning. I bet most of you get up and leave early when your provincial team is losing but are the most loyal fans when they are winning. I think they should re-open Robin Island and send the politicians, the media and you fickle bast£$&s as well.
Jake you have made your mistakes but I think many a man would crumble under the weight you are under. Please stay for the sake of SA rugby?
28 Jun 2006, 03:03 am
RUN, Jake! Run like the wind.
Under your inexpert tutelage 2006 is going to see the Boks lose every 3N test, home and away, and to lose them badly. You must, in the interests of career self-preservation as a pro rugby coach, put as much distance between yourself and the imminent Springbok train-smash of 2006 as possible.
Run, Jake! Let some other poor sucker reap your harvest.
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