The man who took the Springboks to the 2007 Rugby World Cup title, Jake White, believes that Australian rugby players are brighter than their South African counterparts.
The former South African coach revealed in an interview with Forbes Africa magazine that his new players were harder-working and smarter than any side he had coached before.
“I am not saying that South African players are dumb, it’s just that these guys are a lot more educated about a lot of things.
“They are very bright guys in Australia, they won’t just do (what they are told), they want to know why they are doing it and, if they agree, they will do it. “Whereas in South Africa, it’s very much if you’re the coach and you want it, then we’ll just do it like that,” White tells the magazine.
“It’s more of a curiosity thing.
“It’s an Australian way, but it’s more a Brumbies thing. They have prided themselves… that one thing they have had to do is out-think other teams because… they haven’t always had the same player base or resources that other clubs have.”
White also says he is a much better coach now than he was in South Africa.
He led the Springboks to World Cup victory in 2007, but was sacked soon afterwards. - The Mercury