Former south africa rugby coach jake white at canary wharf

White, 44, who took over as the Springboks head coach in 2004, left after guiding them to a 15-6 win over England in the world cup final. It’s still an achievement he can’t quite believe.

He said: “Looking back there’s no doubt it’s an unbelievable thing. People say ‘what is it like?’ but I don’t think you can put words to it. It’s a very unique experience to win a world cup.”

White has been linked with the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa next year and it’s a job he would relish.

“I’m an old-school coach and I believe in old-school values in terms of the whole rugby tradition and ethos,” he said. “The Lions is something that’s part of rugby union history. It would be a great honour.”

White believes rugby has a lot to teach people in other walks of life. He said: “One of the things I’ve learned when dealing with top people in business or sports is you’ve got to be innovative and stimulating.

“People say an international player shouldn’t be missing that kick or dropping that ball. What they forget is you need to stimulate top guys more than the average guy.

“I use the analogy of the maths class. The guy who gets top grades wants to be stimulated. You can’t assume because he’s clever you don’t have to, he’s the guy you should be giving new challenges to.

“All top players want to know every time they get to a national set-up is will it be more organised, more unique, more innovative, more stimulating than where they’ve come from. Otherwise they tend to go back into their comfort zones.”

England’s poor form over the last year has seen a number of players, notably Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt, criticising coach Brian Ashton. It’s an attitude White understands – but not one he agrees with.

He said: “I read what Catt and Dallaglio said. They were privileged to be part of a very successful team under Clive Woodward and they could compare the build-up in 2003 to 2007.

“But Clive was around for eight years; Ashton was around for eight months. Clive beat Australia and New Zealand away from home. There was a huge difference and of course they are going to be critical because they’ve got something to compare it to.

“But I think it’s very unfair. It’s one of the reasons I’m glad to be out of the South African set-up because you are always comparing what it was like when it was successful.”

So is there a fundamental problem with English rugby?
“No, it just needs a bit of tinkering,” he said. “You must never take away the givens in England. They’ve got a stadium, they’ve got rugby history, they’ve got the biggest player base in the world and they’ve got money and sponsorship.

“All they have to do put all that together. Obviously there’s a lot of things that have to happen, but they are nearly there in getting it right. If they do there’s no reason why they can’t be number one.”

But White believes the Springboks will still be the team to beat in 2011.
He said: “There’s 25 out of 30 guys who won the world cup who could play in the next one. The secret is how you manage them in the next four years.

“New Zealand and Australia say they never got back-to-back world cups because they hung on too long to certain players, but I think with us there’s no negatives.

“There are 25 guys all available in four years time. Who wants to be in a better state than that? You’re world champions and you’ve got those guys available for four years of international rugby.”

Did the former teacher find much difference coaching top stars compared to the schoolkids he began with 25 years ago?
“I always say coaching at schoolboy level or international level is a subject,” he said. “Whether you are a science teacher at school or at university the principles are exactly the same and the problems are exactly the same.

“The subject’s quite simple – there’s a way to play rugby. The only thing massively different is the expectation and pressure with international rugby, but getting the message across is exactly the same.

“Some guys can accept getting dropped and some can’t. Whether the guy’s 13 or 40 years old, it’s exactly the same.”

simon.hayes@wharf.co.uk