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The wonder about the Jake White fiasco is whether the South African ever believed that he was a serious candidate for the job of coaching the Wallabies.
News reports in the various newspapers indicate that White was under the impression that he was wanted by the ARU because they had interviewed him and allowed him to put forward his views about how the Wallabies’ management structure and playing record could be greatly improved.
There was a lot of newspaper speculation, too, from journalists who should have known better that White was the prime candidate to take over once Robbie Deans was finished.
If White actually believed all this, he was dreaming.
The facts about the succession after Deans are that the job would go to an Australian, and that that Australian was Ewen McKenzie.
The main and enduring charge against Deans was that he was a New Zealander and a former All Black, and that this compromised him when he coached the Wallabies to endless defeats at the hands of the All Blacks.
Greg Martin memorably expressed all this disquiet by accusing Deans of being a “Trojan Horse” for New Zealand rugby by keeping Quade Cooper out of the All Blacks.
I made the point when the selection of a new Wallabies coach became a formality after the Wallabies were defeated by the British and Irish Lions that White couldn’t win the appointment.
Defeats to the Springboks under his regime would have engendered a similar Springboks “Trojan Horse” attack from the Greg Martins of this world as Deans copped when the All Blacks defeated the Wallabies.
Bill Pulver also made it clear throughout the time when the debate about the new Wallaby coach was in full swing that the appointee had to get the Wallabies playing ‘an attractive brand of rugby.’
McKenzie lobbied hard for the job, along with backers in the media and within the ARU, on two grounds, neither of which could be matched by White.
First, his Queensland Reds team was the only Australian franchise playing winning, attractive rugby that drew in the crowds and second, he was the only viable Australian candidate.
The ARU went through the formalities of interviewing White but my understanding (which is contrary to that of Greg Growden) is that McKenzie always had the job.
His mates within the ARU, especially several influential board members and the powerful Queensland Rugby Union, were all gung-ho for McKenzie.
One of the curious aspects around Jake White was his inability to get an important coaching job after his success as the Springboks coach in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
White virtually hawked himself from country to country picking up a handful of consultancies before he won the Brumbies job two years ago.
He signed a four-year deal with the Brumbies, with the Brumbies having in place a 18-month restraint on him coaching at another Super Rugby franchise.
In two years White has taken the shattered Brumbies franchise to the final of the Super Rugby tournament. This is a remarkable achievement. He deserves credit for this.
But the style of play of the Brumbies was based on the South African model of kicking out of your own half, applying pressure from bombs, good set pieces, accurate goal kicking and using the backs in the opposition’s red zone.
This is precisely the style of play that the ARU does not want the Wallabies to play.
My understanding is that White always had back-up plans if his Wallabies play fell through, or if the Brumbies’ play fell through.