Jake White has backed Eddie Jones to turn around the Wallabies’ fortunes, describing his former assistant coach as a “student of the game” and one perfectly suited for the nation’s “smash and grab” campaign.
The World Cup-winning coach, who brought on Jones as a consultant specifically for South Africa’s successful World Cup campaign in France in 2007, also agreed with the veteran coach’s assessment that “possession rugby is dead”.
“It’s been dead for many, many years. I mean, the rules of the game are made for the defenders,” White told The Roar.
“If they kick the ball out, you’ve got to use it from the maul. If they knock it on, you’ve got to use it from the scrum. If you keep the ball through phases, you got to make sure you play quickly from the rucks. If you get the ball, you can’t score against the upright, which means the defence next to the polls, which means the defence gives one more chance not to concede a try.
“The game is not a possession game. The bottom line is that rugby is the only ball sport in the world you can win without the ball.”
Jake White agrees with Eddie Jones that possession rugby is dead. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
White said the “circle of rugby” would see the cycle change in time as coaches, including Jones, come up with methods to counter the defence-orientated theme that has engulfed the game.
“It has to change. And not only that, it will change,” he said.
“That’s the circle of rugby is that when coaches are busy working out defence then the attack gets all the love. And when the coaches work out all the attack then the defence gets all the love, so it will change.”
For now, the 2023 World Cup year is set to be dominated by a relentless aerial assault, with quick defensive lines, powerful back-rows and hard, meaty on-ballers.
It is seemingly why Jones has brought back twin towers Richie Arnold and Will Skelton from France and taken the explosive, massive units of tighthead prop Taniela Tupou and centre Samu Kerevi to South Africa with him despite the duo returning from injury.
White, who admits he doesn’t keep in contact with Jones, believes the Australian coach will turn the Wallabies’ fortunes around, having slipped as low as eighth on the World Rugby rankings, losing to Italy for the first time in 2022 and winning just 42 per cent of their Tests since 2016.
“I’ve got no doubt he’ll turn them around,” he said.
“You saw England went on a run of 16 or 17 Tests in a row when he arrived. When he was at the Wallabies they were a crackerjack side, and when he was at the Brumbies they were crackerjack too.
“He understands how to put a team together from that region or country or whatever. He will get Australia much better than they were.
“And that’s not taken away from [Dave Rennie], it’s just because he has a great feel and, let’s be fair, he’s an Aussie. What I mean by that is it’s so much easier if you’re an Aussie to coach Australia.”
Jake White says his former consultant Eddie Jones is a student of the game. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
White said that what stood out about Jones was his deep understanding of the game.
“The one thing that separates Eddie from anyone is he’s a student of the game,” White said.
“Whatever flaws or whatever people say about him, one thing he can do is can coach rugby and he understands it.
“He is very switched on to how the game should be played.”
Back to White’s intriguing comment about it being “easier” coaching one’s own nation, the South African, who led the Brumbies to the 2013 Super Rugby final in his second season before leaving the nation’s capital early, said history reinforced his belief.
“It’s true. Robbie Deans is a phenomenal coach. I think he’s won seven out of eight titles in Japan. Dave Rennie has won Super Rugby titles, as Robbie Deans did, but they didn’t do as well as everyone expected in Australia,” White said.
“Eddie is an Australian. So maybe that model works is when you have an Aussie coaching Aussies.
“That’s been a recipe for success; Bob Dwyer’s an Australian, Rod Macqueen’s an Australia and those were the years when they won the World Cup, so maybe there was a message there that other people had missed for a while.”
Coaches Jake White and Eddie Jones lead a Springbok training session held at Peebles Rugby Football Clubon August 23, 2007 in Peeble, Scotland. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
While the Springboks are set to deploy different teams to confront the geographical and logistical challenges of playing the Wallabies on the Highveld and All Blacks in Auckland a week later, White said momentum was crucial heading into a World Cup and neither nation would want to let the Test slip.
“I don’t know what they would do, but I can tell you going into a World Cup, what you want to do is build momentum,” he said.
“So either way, I think Eddie will want to get momentum into the World Cup and the Springboks will want to get momentum as well. So, I don’t think it’ll be one of those Tests where it makes no difference.
“It’s a great starter for Eddie and Australia, but also it’s a home Test match for South Africa. And they will want to keep the momentum, they don’t want to go into the World Cup having lost a couple of Test matches.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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