Rugby
Mickey shows Jake the way
2011-12-06 13:05
Mickey Arthur, Jake White (Getty)
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Canberra - Jake White
has revealed that new Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur helped convince him to take
up his post at the Brumbies.
Speaking to the Rugby Heaven website, White revealed how he had consulted Arthur before his appointment.
"I don't think he ever thought he'd be coaching Australia
in cricket. I asked him a lot about Australia before I moved here,'' White
said.
"And he said: 'Jake, the one thing about this place is they
share their knowledge, they're open to ideas and players like to be coached.'
He said it was a great environment to bring out the best in yourself … I may
not have international exposure but there's a lot more opportunity for me to
develop myself as a coach."
White admitted that he had learned a few things in Australia
and had already picked the brains of some of the country's top coaches.
"I read Ric Charlesworth's book (former Australia hockey player and performance consultant) and since I've been here
I've had meetings with Bill Sweetenham (former British and Australia swimming coach),'' he says. ''I've
had meetings with Ricky Stuart (rugby league coach). Kevin Sheedy (Australian Rules coach) is going to be coming to Canberra
and I went down to Melbourne and met Craig Bellamy (rugby league coach)."
White also enthused about the mindset of Australian
sportsmen.
"Australians have got an unbelievable work ethic in sport.
When you look at their achievements in sport it is phenomenal. I just thought
that this was the one country where I could develop as a coach."
White will
apply the same coaching philosophy at the Brumbies as he did as a Springbok
coach to transform them into Super Rugby contenders.
"We started at the Boks with nobody and we were sixth in
the world,'' he said. The Brumbies are 13th out of 15, we've lost about eight
Wallabies. But I don't see it as doom and gloom … I mean, six of the starting
pack that I ever played in my first game as coach of South Africa went on to play in the
World Cup final."