Johannesburg – Jake White says he would be keen to coach Western Province or the Sharks, but the former Springbok coach has his eye on winning another World Cup title.
White, who led the South Africans to their world cup triumph in 2007, was granted an early release from his four-year contract at the Australian Brumbies franchise last week. He had since been linked to both South African coastal teams.
“When you get a guy like John Smit (Sharks chief executive) who is running the Sharks – I have known him since he was 16 years old – it makes sense,” White said at the weekend.
“I live in Cape Town, my boys are in Cape Town at Bishops and I’d love to coach Western Province. People are saying maybe I am going to Clermont Auvergne because there is a nice job in France.
“I want to be involved with rugby and I want to win another world cup. I am happy to help anybody but I am South African.”
While he admitted there were several options he was considering, White would not divulge whether or not he was involved in formal talks with a specific team.
“The bottom line is I am happy to go anywhere In South Africa as long as I think I can add value,” he said.
“That’s the one thing about taking the job with the Brumbies, was that I knew it was a job that suited me.
“It was the right job which suited my personality and it suited where the team was at the time.
“I’d like to take over a team where the way that I coach, and the way that they play, will help both parties.”
White’s resignation came as a shock in Australia after he had taken the Brumbies from 13th place in 2011 to seventh in his debut Super Rugby season in 2012, and guided the team to the Super Rugby final this year where they succumbed to the Chiefs.
White’s ambitions to coach international rugby, coupled with the fact that his sons were at school in South Africa, all contributed to his decision to call it quits.
He lost out on the Australia coaching job to Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie in July.
“My first prize is I just want to get back into international rugby, so my view is that I have to try and find a way,” White said.
“I am in the job of coaching and I want to coach rugby. I’ve made it quite clear with the Australians – there was an opportunity and the door was closed and the landscape has now changed.”
The 50-year-old coach said he was pleased the Brumbies had agreed to release him of his contract, but the conditions of his release still needed to be resolved.
“I’ve got a release which is fantastic but I just have to work out all the legalities around that release because I want to coach,” White said.
“Obviously they are going to make some constraints about the fact that if I leave they must be happy.
“I just want to make sure there is a win-win situation for everybody. I don’t want to upset anybody. I am happy to move on but I just want to make sure the club is happy.” – Sapa