In his role as head coach to England he has been the proverbial workaholic, conscientious and diligent in everything he did in order to make England the best.
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Following Wednesday’s resignation of Stuart Lancaster, who presided over a dismal World Cup on home soil, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have set out their stall for a successor with proven global pedigree, effectively ruling out most of the English contenders.
White, 52, has twice been overlooked for the job by the RFU, when Martin Johnson took control in 2008 and when Lancaster was handed the reins in 2012. “I would never be saying that I was keen on the job if I did not believe I could do it”, said White.
RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie said the decision to replace Lancaster had been “unanimously accepted” by the governing body’s board.
“Of course I feel personally about what’s happened and what’s gone on”, Ritchie said.
White is a World Cup victor – although he last coached at Test level when South Africa won the tournament eight years ago – while Jones took Australia to the 2003 final and then oversaw Japan’s unforgettable 2015 campaign, and Smith has been there and achieved everything with New Zealand. “It’s a fantastic city and the opportunity to coach the Stormers is wonderful”. “I think it’s equally important, though, that I continue to deliver for the organization and move it forward”.
“If I’ve got any sort of history as a coach, it’s generally about producing attacking rugby teams”.
Jones said that he was hoping to develop a “a really distinctive brand of Stormers rugby” and hopes to build on the Stormers legacy as an attacking team. “That is my goal at the moment”.
The news comes on the back of Eddie Jones, Wayne Smith, Graham Henry and Joe Schmidt all distancing themselves from the England job. “We all have to take responsibility for that but me especially as head coach”.
“Stuart has been fully involved and has given feedback, as well as the other coaches, players, management and a wide variety of people from around the game”.
I don’t see why guys who are flourishing in the Premiership can’t go on and flourish in the worldwide environment.
Ritchie’s desire is for the new boss to have worldwide experience, which would appear to suggest the overseas market will be England’s stopping point.
The likes of current Australia coach Michael Cheika, Wales boss Warren Gatland and ex-South Africa chief Nick Mallett have also been backed in a few quarters.
England’s failure to progress from their World Cup pool was always likely to signal the end of Lancaster’s time in the job, and with the fallout encompassing training ground rows, bad share tips and the Sam Burgess debacle, his regime began to look somewhat calamitous by the end.
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It is understood that there are now no plans to change England’s approach.
