Today in History: World Cup-winning Springbok coach, Jake White, was born
Before making the move to the Toyota Verblitz in Japan last year (where he still coaches), Jake enjoyed successful coaching stints at the Brumbies, Sharks, Tonga, and Montpellier.
On this day in 1963, former Springbok coach Jake White, whose team won the IRB Rugby World Cup in 2007, was born in Johannesburg.
Prior to taking over the Springbok coaching job in 2004, Jake had coached high school rugby at Parktown Boys’ High School and Jeppe High School, as well as various U/19 and U/21 sides before assisting Springbok squad preparations from 1997 to 1999, when he was a technical adviser to Nick Mallet.
In 1999, he was appointed as the assistant coach to the U/21 Springboks, coached by Eric Sauls and captained by John Smit. In 2000 and 2001, he was an assistant to Harry Viljoen, working with the Springboks. By this time he was well known for his technical prowess in rugby circles, and he lived up to his reputation by coaching the U/21 Springbok side to victory in the U/21 Rugby World Cup in 2002.
White was appointed as head coach of the national team in early 2004, when South African rugby was in utter turmoil following a poor showing at the 2003 World Cup. It was also around the time when the Kamp Staaldraad scandal had been made public, which led to the resignation of several high-ranking South African Rugby Union (Saru) officials.
Jake had a mammoth task ahead of him, having to clean up the mess that was South African rugby at the time if he wanted to help restore South Africa to its former self on the international rugby scene. His first move was to install John Smit as captain – a move which was met with derision for much of his tenure and that of his successor, Peter de Villiers.
Jake would however see a successful three years as head coach, leading up to the 2007 World Cup, which, in 2004, saw the Boks claim their first Tri-Nations trophy since 1998. The next two years would prove vital for preparation for the World Cup, as the Boks went into the tournament with a renewed sense of hope from their supporters, despite a long list of injuries to star players.
Jake and his charges put in a number of impressive performances at the World Cup, which saw them end top of Pool A and stroll into the final where they would face England. It was a final for the books, as the Boks came up against a resurgent England side, but managed to overcome the the English 15–6 in the end.
After the World Cup, Jake was named IRB Coach of the Year for the second time, but not before he opted to not continue his tenure with the Boks. Shortly after finishing as Springbok coach, Jake published his autobiography, In Black and White, The Jake White Story. As of February 2008, the book had sold 210 000 copies in South Africa, outselling even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
On 24 October 2011, he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame, alongside other World Cup-winning head coaches and captains from the 2007 World Cup competition.
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