Takes From The Presser: Jake White
In his first press conference as Vodacom Bulls head coach, Jake White was oozing with confidence and charisma, something his predecessor Pote Human was lacking.
In my time of covering Pote Human, he was never confident around the media, always seemed uneased or jittery. That anxiety he displayed in the press room, often translated on the rugby field especially in last seasons Currie Cup and this years short lived Super Rugby campaign.
With Jake White it was different though, his had experiences with media from all over the world, that’s why he was not phase by any questions, in fact it seemed like he had missed the South African media, he even asked me mute my mic, every common thing in this new normal age; he was very comfortable.
But the majors highlights I picked from the former Springboks coach’s address include his affection for my surname, Tsotsi; he has never worked with Morne Steyn, that surprised me; he has sorted out the leadership of the team; his looking forward to combinations from his trio; he also deflected pressure from himself and the team.
So, I raised my hand to ask a question, “Jake, Jake, Jake”, there I was stuttering like I was confronting my crush. I asked him what are his expectations for the new back trio of Cornal Hendricks, Gio Aplon and Travis Ismaiel.
And he answered “Tsotsi, I think for me the most important thing is to see combinations. And so, I’m going to try different things. I have got this young guy Stravino Jacobs that is upcoming, he’s an unbelievable player. I mean he’s just a diamond in the rough and I want to see what he’s like when he plays in a that combination. He is a youngster, maybe with him, Gio and Travis Ismaiel together, he can add some value,” said White.
I was a bit concerned by the captaincy skipping Trevor Nyakane after it was vacant after Burger Odendaal was shipped out. Nyakane during the time he was handed the armband he managed to galvanise the team during a difficult period, earning much respect from the senior pros and young guys like Muller Uys. I asked Jake White about the leadership situation and how the Bok prop was taking it.
“Tsotsi, Trevor is a team guy, you know. He knows he was captain and vice-captain in certain games. More than anything, he understands we have a captain, and Duane Vermeulen is a Springbok captain as well. He understands as a prop, it’s difficult to make decisions and feel like you can have any involvement in the game. He has got an area his in charge of, he’s still one of the leaders in the group.”
The expectations for this Bulls team are high, but Jake White managed to dumb them down. He pointed out that the other teams are better, and should do better than his side. The loss of several Springboks, the 7th place finish in the Currie Cup and the solitary win in the Super Rugby were Whites examples as to why expectations should be low.
Bulls fans want to see their team being world beaters again, the World Cup winning coach is the man to lead them, but I sense he dose not want the players to be put under pressure by external forces. He understands that this project can be a huge success or blow up in his face like many other ventures.
This is probably the most surprising revelation, Jake White and Morne Steyn have never worked together before, and it makes sense. Their paths just never met in the past, when Jake went to coach overseas Morne Steyns star was starting to shine. They sighted each other in France but as opponents. Two of the greatest rugby brains South Africa will get to work together when they are out of their prime years, it would be nice to see them have a success story, it could me good storytelling of coming of age.
Vodacom Bulls squad: Clinton Swart, Travis Ismaiel, Stedman Gans, Jacques van Rooyen, Kurt-lee Arendse, Corniel Els, Morné Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Marco Jansen van Vuren, Jade Stighling, Stravino Jacobs, Duane Vermeulen (c), Arno Botha, Chris Smith, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortjé, David Kriel, Muller Uys, Jason Jenkins, Trevor Nyakane, Schalk Erasmus, Jan-Hendriek Wessels, Mornay Smith, Sintu Manjezi, Juandré Kruger, Nizaam Carr, Tim Agaba, Embrose Papier, Cornal Hendricks, Gio Aplon.
