Jake White believes Boks need more experience in coaching box

2007 World Cup winning Springbok coach Jake White has suggested that the Springboks could do with more head coach experience in their management team.

White referred to the All Blacks as his prime example in a column for All Out Rugby.

At points during the period they won back-to-back World Cups, the All Blacks had Wayne Smith, Steve Hansen and Graham Henry in the same coaching box,” White wrote.

“Those guys weren’t just head coaches of three club sides, they were the best of the best. New Zealand headhunted three international coaches to sit in the box – Smith had been head coach of New Zealand, Hansen had coached Wales and Henry had coached Wales and the British & Irish Lions before heading up the All Blacks.”

“Sometimes, having an assistant who has been a head coach at a high level, one who understands the sum of all the parts, is more beneficial than an innovative, but inexperienced assistant. Often what happens in South Africa is you go from being an assistant coach at the Boks to being a Super Rugby franchise head coach, and it should probably be the other way round.”

White referred back to the success of having Eddie Jones as part of his World Cup winning side’s management team and went on to pose the question, “If South Africa was coached by Rassie, Heyneke Meyer and Nick Mallett, wouldn’t the Boks be in a better position to avoid speed bumps, and win next year’s World Cup?”