White on lookout for African rugby recruit
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Brumbies coach Jake White may use a trip home as an opportunity to recruit a South African player to add to his promising Super Rugby squad.
The Canberra-based franchise headed the Australian conference for almost the whole season, only to finish second behind Queensland following a final-round loss.
South African White won many plaudits for fashioning a competitive side out of largely unheralded players, some of whom went on to play for Australia in June.
With virtually all of his squad re-signed for next season, White is looking to possibly supplement home talent with a South African recruit.
“I think with Australia going into the World Cup in three years time, a development player who I feel could be good enough to play for the Wallabies in three years time, would be a great signing for us,” White told AAP at Thursday’s Super Rugby awards in Sydney.
“My first year I deliberately didn’t go out and try and head hunt anybody because I wanted to see what talent there was available in my own squad.
“Now that I know what we have and what maybe we need and what would give us a point of difference, I can go back now and have the luxury of trying to find the right guy that will take us to another step, because next year we won’t be under the radar.
“This year we probably got fortunate that people underestimated us and underrated us.”
White sees greater physicality at the breakdown and better tackling as areas he wants to improve.
“We’ll finish off the year on Monday with our team and individual reviews and just go through what we think we need to work on for the next six months,” White said.
“I don’t believe there was anything wrong with the effort and the ethos but we obviously got a bit bashed in certain games.
“We’ve got a relatively young group of players, not only in age, but also in experience.”
White says Colby Faingaa has the opportunity to step up and claim the openside flanker spot vacated by Michael Hooper’s move to NSW.
© AAP 2013
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The Crowd Says (20) | Page 1 of Comments
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July 27th 2012 @ 10:14am
Rusty said | July 27th 2012 @ 10:14am | Report comment
I worry with Jake at the healm that suddenly we are going to start to see some very physical abrasive forwards developing in Australian rugby….
July 27th 2012 @ 10:16am
Justin2 said | July 27th 2012 @ 10:16am | Report comment
July 27th 2012 @ 11:18am
Terry Tavita said | July 27th 2012 @ 11:18am | Report comment
gee, that’s great..go all the way to south africa to recruit players as if the republic doesn’t have its very own five super rugby franchises..how about us in the islands jake? what do island players need to do to land a super contract?
July 27th 2012 @ 4:41pm
biltongbek said | July 27th 2012 @ 4:41pm | Report comment
I fully agree with that, Jake looks like he wants to build australian rugby with South Africans (well maybe only a few), the Pacific islands have great talent Jake, look east.
July 28th 2012 @ 12:39am
Sircoolalot said | July 28th 2012 @ 12:39am | Report comment
Maybe because he comes from South Africa, is going there for holiday and will look for players suitable at the same time perhaps?
July 27th 2012 @ 11:27am
Johnno said | July 27th 2012 @ 11:27am | Report comment
-This development player issue sounds good but it is not necessary. Just find overseas players, who are experienced rathe than young pan coming ones who may play for wallabies or not. What super rugby needs is more hard edged experienced import like Wales Gareth delve and england james haskell, or samoa’s tusk pusi, or mo schwalger. These are type of players who have the ability to fill the gaps when experienced players like steve donald types leave. A young up and comer just find some form league or local even, and we are bleeding young ones now to rugby overseas and league.
Terry is right why not more samoans or pacific islander player development ones or experienced one. Europe and Japan are very welcoming and have an open door policy aussy super sides not so much. Jake white goes to south africa coz he is south african and knows how to coach south african players , i assume that is his logic for preference to them over pacific islanders. ANd why did no one in aussy rugb y want to sign this giant tongan Isotolo Maka’s nephew i will never know. Also taolisi gray too should of been signed.
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,9818_7904548,00.html
July 27th 2012 @ 2:04pm
David said | July 27th 2012 @ 2:04pm | Report comment
From a selfish SA perspective I would prefer if he left our guys alone.
Having said that I understand why he would prefer SA.players. As you say he knows how to coach them. He knows where to find them. He knows their names and how to contact them. And most important there are lots of them, so much that many Saffers I have never heard of have done well in Europe after failing to secure a contract in SA.
I reckon he is making a simple local knowledge and numbers choice.
I am curious though. I agree he should cast his net wide but from your perspective why should he aim for the Islands and not SA?
July 27th 2012 @ 4:43pm
biltongbek said | July 27th 2012 @ 4:43pm | Report comment
David, we are losing enough players as it is. Just look at what happened to Sarel Pretorius, he moves to Oz, only not to play much this season and ontop of that he seems to like it there and might never come back, he was a candidate for Bok rugby and now he is gone.
Leave them kids alone.
July 27th 2012 @ 4:48pm
David said | July 27th 2012 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
I agree with you. I would rather Aus develop their own or hunt elsewhere.
I was speaking from a Jake perspective. Jake is doing what makes sense to his objectives.
However losing a few players to Aus is a drop in the ocean.
We have over 200 players in Europe
Scary?
July 27th 2012 @ 4:52pm
biltongbek said | July 27th 2012 @ 4:52pm | Report comment
Well, then ,lets not make the drop bigger.
July 28th 2012 @ 12:45am
Sircoolalot said | July 28th 2012 @ 12:45am | Report comment
Johnno,
Do you know for a fact that an Aussie franchise didn’t want to sign Maka? You probably don’t, but keep speculating on pretty much every article on this site anyway! For all we know he could have rejected an offer from an Aussie franchise. He would have been offered a lot more money from Toulouse and he has two uncles who played for them and who live in France as well.
Who knows maybe his ambition is to even play for France one day or maybe Tonga like his uncles, there wouldn’t be any point in playing for an Aussie franchises then would there.
You mentioning him is getting pretty damn annoying
July 28th 2012 @ 12:55am
Johnno said | July 28th 2012 @ 12:55am | Report comment
well he is a good player yes he has uncles who played there but tonga is closer to Australia and he spent a lot of time in OZ.
-SBW i can guarantee you would prefer to play rugby in NZ than Japan if the cash was the same.
-Carl Hayman and steve donald would rather be living in NZ if the cash was the same as would luke mcalister and Brad Thorn.
July 28th 2012 @ 1:18am
Sircoolalot said | July 28th 2012 @ 1:18am | Report comment
But the cash isn’t the same…
July 28th 2012 @ 1:45am
Johnno said | July 28th 2012 @ 1:45am | Report comment
Exaclty and that is my point maybe if the cash was the same this guy would stay in OZ and not go to France.
And same with SBW. Any kiwi in there right mind if the cash was the same would rather stay in NZ than go overseas if the cash was the same.
July 28th 2012 @ 1:22am
David said | July 28th 2012 @ 1:22am | Report comment
Japan wages seem out of this world.
Jacque Fourie is there (along with a few other Saffers) and Jacque’s wages are huge by European standards.
I can only guess how much SBW will earn.
July 28th 2012 @ 1:54am
Johnno said | July 28th 2012 @ 1:54am | Report comment
They are Dave for the top rung of players defiantly, so why wanted the players go there. SBW may or may not even bother with the NRL if the cash is good there. He might play 5 years in Japan for all we know, such good cash why not. Jacque Fourie is showing no signs of wanting to come back to South africa the money is too good in Japan. Can’t blame him either.
July 27th 2012 @ 11:40am
ant said | July 27th 2012 @ 11:40am | Report comment
so reading between the lines Pocock has said no to the Brumbies?
July 27th 2012 @ 2:52pm
joe b said | July 27th 2012 @ 2:52pm | Report comment
supposedly something will be announced today….I would be surprised (but pleased) if he stayed at the force. Rugbyheaven is reporting that the force are chasing Foley as a snr coach and some other waratahs admin/management staff…if the Force are seeking “talent” from the waratahs then I will be following the brumbies next year.
July 27th 2012 @ 3:03pm
Jutsie said | July 27th 2012 @ 3:03pm | Report comment
I also read that they were offering steve meehan a position. But regarding the foley, tahs board. Are the force just begging to be the laughing stock of aus rugby. To actually headhunt members of the worst run franchise in aus is mind boggling.
July 28th 2012 @ 11:00am
the Bone said | July 28th 2012 @ 11:00am | Report comment
I also read Brian Melrose is next in line for the top job