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Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Jake White has suggested that the Bok management team should have more coaches with head coaching experience.
White shared his opinion via a column for the All Out Rugby website on Tuesday where he used the All Blacks as an example.
“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.”
White, who coached the Springboks to the Rugby World Cup title in 2007, added that the pecking order to the top should be different in South African rugby.
“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 added that making Eddie Jones part of his Springbok management team at the 2007 World Cup in France had reaped rewards.
“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?” White argued.
