World Cup-winning coach Jake White still has hopes of coaching at the highest level again despite his disappointment at missing out on the Wallabies job last year.
White, who guided South Africa to the 2007 World Cup, thought himself a shoo-in to take over from New Zealander Robbie Deans as Australia coach last year but missed out to Ewen McKenzie.
SuperSport
Disillusioned, the South African walked out of his job as coach of the Canberra-based ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby last year, halfway through his four-year contract to head home to mentor the Sharks.
“I’ve thought about it long and hard. I would love the Wallabies job,” White told reporters in Canberra where the competition-leading Sharks will take on the second-placed Brumbies on Saturday.
“I’ve said it many times to many journalists while I was here: I’d love to coach internationally again and the mere fact that it wasn’t an opportunity and another opportunity presented itself – rightly or wrongly, selfishly, whichever way you look at it – I just decided it was time for me to be back closer to my family, my network, based on the fact that the landscape had significantly changed.”
“I would like to coach internationally again and I wasn’t aware that if I left I could still never coach Australia,” the 51-year-old added.
“I mean, I’m a young guy and there’s a lot more international rugby and anyone who has coached at that level always looks for that opportunity.”
White blamed a preference for home-grown coaches for his snubbing, pointing to fellow South African Mickey Arthur’s sacking as coach of the Australian cricket team last year.
Former Australia test batsman Darren Lehmann took over from Arthur.
“I’m the first to admit when I arrived here under John O’Neill as the incumbent (Australian Rugby Union) CEO the landscape was different,” he said.
“There were opportunities in Australia for foreign coaches to ply their trade and coach internationally – Mickey Arthur at cricket, Robbie Deans at rugby.”
“That landscape changed in the two years that I was here – no-one’s fault – and that means that you’ve got to reboot and rethink about where you want to be as a coach.”
If the Australia job came up again, White said he wouldn’t send in his “CV”.
“I’d have to get tapped on the shoulder this time,” he said.
It is only natural that the Canberra press crowd would have queried Jake White about his ambitions of coaching at Test level, after he was overlooked for the Wallabies job last year and after he left the Brumbies on top of it, maybe as a direct result of being snubbed for the Wallabies job.
That said, one still cannot but feel that Jake only does what is best for Jake, and that his interests in the Sharks are subject to that… and if the right opportunity came that he would drop the Sharks like a hot potato.
In the meantime he seems to be highly effective at the Sharks, in conjunction with his buddy John Smit.
Face facts White, you broke your contract and reneged on a deal.
You deserve everything that’s coming to you and I hope you never get another international team to coach.
You are untrustworthy and have further tarnished what’s left of South Africa’s international reputation.
You should have a good, long look in the mirror…
Well i would like the “brainy Aussies” shows Jake just how bumb he is.
This guy has no morals when it comes to rugby comaradary.
He said what he said wildly aiming a Low blow to the cultures of the Bulls last year.
So sorry my Shark mates you picked to run with the devil hope you get it.
There is in fact no reason for me to like the current Shark leadership.John, Jake and Bismarck
If the Australia job came up again, White said he wouldn’t send in his “CV”.
“I’d have to get tapped on the shoulder this time,” he said.
3 @ superBul: Agree 100%.
Glad to see someone else also feels the same way about the CEO as well.
Ask John Plumtree, he knows.
“What goes around comes around”.
Wonder if the likes of Ireland or Wales had to approach Jake now for the National position…
Will he snub the Sharks and take it up?
6 @ Gena_ZA: Faster than you could say: “Guiness” or “Cardiff Arms”
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Sorry, meant to add that he’d put the phone down, walk into Smit’s office & say
When the Sharks choke again this year watch Jakey throws the toys out of the cot.
9 @ NZINCHINA: I clearly remember in the months building up to RWC 2007 that he said words to the effect of: “There is no doubt in my mind that a major refereeing blunder will decide this year’s RWC…”
I took it that he was planting seeds of doubt in peoples minds that should his Springboks lose the competition he could say: “I told you so”. Little did I know that he’s actually psychic and was talking about Wayne Barnes…
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Yep, Jake talks so much, he is bound to be right eventually.
@ BrumbiesBoy:
It was an odd thing to say, we should have buried the Frogs with all the possession we had, we only have ourselves to blame for that one.
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