‘I would have found a way to stay’ – Jake White reveals regret after ‘naively’ resigning from Springboks job
The now Bulls’ director of rugby, led South Africa to their second Rugby World Cup title in 2007 defeating England in the final in Paris.
However, despite the team’s success, White would not continue as the head coach beyond 2007 after he “resigned” from the role.
White’s departure from the Springboks
In October of that year, SA Rugby released a statement confirming that White had -applied for his position beyond 2007, with the coach did not wanting to “make a decision on his coaching future at this point”.
The Bok boss would explain that he requested time from SARU to consider his options and was “extremely disappointed” with the manner in which his “supposed unavailability was conveyed.”
“My contract as Springbok coach is clear that I was not obliged to apply and that all considerations would be discussed at my annual review,” White said ahead of his final game in charge against the Barbarians.
“I did ask for time to consider my options as I was mindful of making a wrong decision based on emotion. This time was not afforded to me and that is particularly disappointing.
“It was the greatest honour to coach the Boks and no one can ever take away the memory of those four years.”
The one mulligan
Reflecting on his coaching career, White spoke on Behind the Ruck podcast and said that if he could relive that part of his career, he would have attempted to retain his position.
He believed that another international coaching position would come his way after the Springboks but that was not the case with White going on to coach the Brumbies, Sharks, Montpellier, Toyota Verblitz and now the Bulls.
“I wouldn’t have resigned,” White replied when asked what he would do if he had one mulligan.
“At that time, I was young. I was 40 when I coached the Springboks and I was 43 when I finished coaching the Springboks.
“That’s why the mulligan would be that I would stay and I would have found a way to stay.
“I naively thought that I would get another international job later and it never happened. I was very lucky because I joined professional rugby when it started, I got into Nick Mallet’s group when I left teaching.
“The one thing is that I would have stayed.”
White would be replaced by Peter de Villiers after he beat the likes of Allister Coetzee, Chester Williams and Heyneke Meyer who reportedly made SA Rugby’s shortlist for the position.
