Former Wallaby coach Eddie Jones has suggested that Jake White would be an excellent choice to coach Australia when the Bok coach leaves his job later this year.
Jones quite rightly believes that White could have unprecedented success simply by working within the ARU structures – miles apart from the shambolic political and administrative conditions under which he is currently forced to work at SARU.
“Anyone who can beat the All Blacks three times has to be worth considering,” said Jones to The Australian.
“He has done a good job with South Africa and on the international scene he has proven himself one of the best coaches going around. He has developed a strong culture within the Springboks and he certainly handles himself well in the media.”
ARU chief executive John O’Neill did not count White out of the running.
“We clearly want the best person for the job and that doesn’t exclude non-Australians.
“There are going to be some good-quality applicants from within our own ranks but obviously others may well apply, Jake among them. He’s not on our list to date but nothing is ruled out.”
Jake would get his chance to show his true worth in a professional setup like that. It’s amazing that he’s managed to get Bok rugby to where it is today despite all the constant undermining by the government and SARU.