FORMER World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White says he is preparing to apply for the job again.
South Africa’s premature elimination from the World Cup on Sunday has inspired White to bid to take charge of rebuilding the national team.
He made the decision after watching the most experienced side in Springbok history being bundled out of the quarter-finals by a young Wallabies outfit.
“Being at the World Cup and experiencing the tournament has re-ignited my desire to get back into international rugby,” White said from Auckland on Sunday.
“I’d like to make myself available for the Bok job.”
White resurrected the team from an ignominious 2003 World Cup campaign, guiding a raft of young players to a Tri-Nations title in 2004 and a world championship in 2007, but SA Rugby chose not to extend his contract and president Oregan Hoskins controversially appointed Peter de Villiers to the post in 2008.
Under De Villiers, the highs of a series victory over the British and Irish Lions and a Tri-Nations title in 2009 were overshadowed by finishing last in the southern hemisphere competition in 2008, 2010 and 2011, along with embarrassing tour losses against Scotland and English club sides Leicester and Saracens.
The core of the 2007 championship side is expected to join captain John Smit and retire from international rugby in the aftermath of the Boks’ earliest exit from the World Cup, and White is concerned about the vacuum they will leave.
“(Legendary Australian cricketer) Don Bradman always said that a coach should leave a team in a better condition than he found it in, but I don’t feel that Peter de Villiers has focused on long-term planning and development,” said White.
“Smit, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw and Fourie du Preez are all moving on and the reality is that the next coach will be starting from scratch.
“The (Bok) team I coached didn’t just win the World Cup, we stayed in the top three (of the IRB world rankings) for eight years and I don’t think anyone in South Africa is better qualified than I am to take the Springboks back to that level.”
Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, a consultant to the Boks in 2007, is excited about the idea of a Bok reunion with White.
“I really enjoyed my time in South Africa and if the opportunity to coach with Jake came up again, I’d be very interested,” he said.
White, who is contracted to the Brumbies, is eager not to be overlooked for the job.
“The last time (2008) I was told I didn’t get the job because I didn’t apply for the position, and I want to make sure that South Africans know I never turned my back on Springbok rugby and that I have always wanted to be a part of it.
“Whenever the job officially becomes available, I’ll definitely put my CV in.”
Other possible contenders include former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer, who headlines a group of potential candidates including John Mitchell, Brendan Venter, Rassie Erasmus, Allister Coetzee and Nick Mallett.
Meyer was the leading contender to replace White in 2008, before but SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins appointed De Villiers.
Erasmus, the former Bok loose forward agreed to attempt a hospital job on the ailing world champions at the World Cup with the proviso that his chances of replacing De Villiers would not be jeopardised by the team’s performance.
Arguably the country’s leading rugby brain, Erasmus has re-established Province and the Stormers as respective Currie Cup and Super 15 title contenders.
While Erasmus has been credited for his technical insight, Coetzee’s complementary role in knitting the management team and players together has gone largely unnoticed.
Regarded by many as the man who should have taken over from White, Coetzee will again be a contender for the Bok job.
Mitchell’s no-nonsense approach coupled with an unshakeable belief in the merits of supreme physical conditioning has brought the Lions back to life.
Venter has also sparked a revival in recent seasons, revitalising English club Saracens.
But Venter told the Cape Argus today: “No, Allister Coetzee is the right person.
“He is really good at what he does.
“Rassie (Erasmus) must be involved too, he has been very influential, and it’s a healthy combination.”
Mallett has parted ways with Italy and turned down a lucrative offer from a French club, giving rise to speculation that he may be interested in a second term as Bok coach.
As the Boks aboard Qantas flight GF63 land with a bump back in Joburg at 4.15pm on Monday, it will signal the start of a long Bok rebirth. - Cape Argus