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Fans fire back at Jake

Cape Town - Sport24 readers have blasted former Springbok coach Jake White after he claimed Australian rugby players were smarter than their South African counterparts.

In an interview, the current Brumbies coach revealed that his crop of players are smarter and more hard-working than any team he has coached.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee, a former colleague of White's when he was coach of the Springboks, recently said that White's comments had to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Could the outburst be just sour grapes for White, who according to former Springbok captain John Smit was snubbed for the Sharks coaching position?

Or is it possible that White, whose claim as front-runner to succeed Robbie Deans for the Wallaby coaching position was improved by his Brumbies team beating the British and Irish Lions, was angling for the Wallaby coaching job?

Sport24 readers seem to think so.

Here's what our readers had to say about Jake's comments:

"Jake White is always shooting of his big mouth, what can one say except that he is a tool always spewing his venom. I for one do not want to see him ever coaching the Springboks again."
- Raven Blue

"Aah, Jake the snake spitting more venom. And people wonder why most don't take this turncoat seriously."
- Jeffrey Aucamp

"Big surprise. Jake White making an outrageous statement. Never heard that before." - Willie Oosthuizen

"Jake you are such a good ambassador for your country of birth. Not! No wonder you got sacked. I do wish you become the next Australian coach before 2015 so that HM ones and for all can shut your big mouth."
- RB

"What is White on about, the Aussies lost against the Lions. If anything, they show a serious depletion of capability, talent and intelligence. The Lions would never have even featured against the Boks, the Aussies are nothing but a circus filled with delinquents for players." - Stephen Trenam

"Overall record between SA players and Australian players: 76 games 33 won by Australia 42 won by SA and 1 draw : make your own mind up who is smarter." - Mark O'Donaghue

"Jake's record as Bok coach is not all that great. Winning the RWC rescued his reputation a bit. Luckily for him." - Nico Eksteen

"Anybody still want to argue that JW is an average coach with an inflated ego? Piss poor winning average and won a world cup with a bit of help from NZ and those same Aussies!" - Jimmy

"I don't want him to come back to South Africa. We need positive people around who can make a positive contribution to this country, and we don't need people like him around."
- Manie Maree

"Is Jake saying these things because the Sharks snubbed him?"
- Louise Barnard

"Is it just me or has Jake White become a real jerk since joining the Aussies?" - Warren Leibbrandt

"Sour grapes cause the sharks turned him down."
- Israel Levi

"His nose is out of joint because John Smit (NOT a stupid man, by the way) said no thanks to Jake White coaching the Sharks. Jake White is, was and always will be, a PRAT!"
- Chez Kri

"In coaching, where the money is, the heart is, give Jake an SA team to coach and the words 'stupid Aussies' will come out of his pie-hole." - JP Botha

"At least we were smart enough not to lose to the Lions." - George Wood

"Jake, don’t think the ARU don’t recognise a try-hard when they see one."
- Anti-hero

"Jake is trying very hard to gain favour with the Aussies for their national team coaching job...He is talking HOGWASH by saying Aussies are smarter than South African players." - Kholekhile Schwartz

"You would say that Jake. You not going to run down the team/country you are coaching. Had you gotten the job at the Sharks, THEY would have been the best. Funny how you praised your "boys" when they won you the Tri-Nations and WC." - Andre Rabie

"There is a grain of truth in White's statement, although he obviously is still hurting from being pushed out after winning the 2007 RWC and perhaps for not getting the Sharks appointment. He has been treated extremely unfairly."
- Rocco de Wet

"Here in SA our players are like robots that just follow orders or like sheep that just follow the herd . Everyone is too scared to play his own game in fear of losing favour with the coaches . Players like Wille Le Roux are our future . Guys with flare and that unpredictable game are lacking in our structures . Our players are so predictable that the other teams can work out their game plans against us weeks in advance."
- Brandon Stephenson

"I don't think we are stupid or less intelligent than the other teams . I just think that SA Rugby has got stuck in a certain type of play that worked 6/7 years ago and we have failed to adapt , evolve and advance our tactics."
- BS

"Let’s see… Kurtley Beale was forced to take a sabbatical from rugby for bar brawls and drinking, there’s an arrest warrant for Digby Ioane for not pitching up at court on an assault charge. Quade Cooper criticised the national coach and was dropped from the team. Yup. The Australians are an incredibly bright bunch."
- Harley Quinn


Was Jake White trying to butter up the ARU? (Gallo Images)
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