Jake White no longer in favour at the Bulls? — report
It would appear that the Pretoria-based team have already identified a possible replacement.
Jake White, Director of Rugby at the Bulls, has led the team to three URC finals. Picture:Is Jake White's head on the chopping block at the Bulls?
According to Afrikaans Sunday publication Rapport, the 2007 World Cup-winning coach, who has guided the Bulls to three United Rugby Championship finals without winning the trophy, has fallen out of favour with several players and coaches at Loftus Versfeld.
White joined the Bulls in 2020, initially until the end of 2023, but he extended his contract beyond his initial stay.
He helped the team win the Super Rugby Unlocked competition during Covid and also coached the side to three URC finals, against the Stormers, Glasgow and Leinster. White also oversaw the side winning the Currie Cup in 2020 and 2021.
Rapport revealed on Sunday several players and coaches in the Pretoria team's structures are unhappy with White's leadership.
The publication also stated that former Lions coach Johan Ackermann could be next in line to take charge of the Bulls.
Ackermann is currently employed by SA Rugby, working with the Junior Boks. The former Springbok lock previously coached the Lions in Super Rugby and guided the team to finals in 2016 and 2017.
He then coached at Gloucester in England before taking up a position in Japan.
Ackermann and current Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone worked together at the Lions, when the coach turned the team into South Africa's strongest Super Rugby side after they struggled for years to make an impact in the competition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
What time is kick off for Springboks v Barbarians?
Springbok fans can rejoice, the 2025 season will kick off this Saturday with a 'warm-up' clash against the Barbarians before the team then heads into a jampacked set of Test fixtures. After a brief period where the Springbok players returned home to spend time with their families over the last couple of days, the squad reassembled in Cape Town on Sunday to continue preparing for their encounter against the Barbarians. Kick off on Saturday is at 17:10. 'We are well on track with our preparations for the Barbarians game,' said coach Rassie Erasmus. 'Some of the players are making a strong return from injury, and we've now had time for the players to settle back into our setup from their franchises and clubs. 'Some of the players had fitness tests yesterday (last Tuesday) and have been involved in team meetings and been exposed to the way we want to do things on the field after the two alignment camps earlier in the year, so we are confident we'll all be back on the same page' The Springboks face the BaaBaas for the Qatar Airways Cup on Saturday (28 June), before lining up against Italy in back-to-back Tests in Pretoria (5 July) and Gqeberha (12 July) before they wrap up the Incoming Series against Georgia in Nelspruit (19 July). Zoning in on the Incoming Series, the double Rugby World Cup-winning coach said: 'Italy will obviously pose a different challenge. They did well in their first two Six Nations matches, but they are a team that we can analyse, although we will certainly not underestimate them. 'I've seen them beat us before, so it will be an important two matches against them. Georgia are also a challenging team on a good day, so the key for us will be to drive our own standards.' Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Vincent Tshituka (all Sharks), Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos (all Stormers), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Wilco Louw, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Nortje (all Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks). Backs: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel (both Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams, Ethan Hooker (all Sharks), Manie Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse (all Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie (all Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Lions). Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Springboks step up preparation for 2025 season opener against Barbarians in Cape Town
After two weeks of preparation, the Springboks are set to start their 2025 international season on Saturday against the Barbarians in Cape Town as they look to lay a strong platform for the rest of the year. Image: BackpagePix The Springboks are set to kick off their 2025 international season on Saturday against the Barbarians in Cape Town, in a year head coach Rassie Erasmus will likely finalise some experiments in his team. While the focus will remain on winning as many of their matches — they will play 13 Tests and the invitational match against the Baabaas — to maintain a healthy standing on the World Rugby rankings for the World Cup draw later this year, it will be the final season where the Boks can fully experiment with certain players to see if they will fit into the 2027 Rugby World Cup plans. The @Barbarian_FC will announce their final squad in the coming days - if you could bring one of these former #Springboks back, who would it be? 🫡 Don't miss out, grab your tickets now from Ticketmaster South Africa - click here: 🎟 There's rugby ...… — Springboks (@Springboks) June 21, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The showdown against the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium (5.10PM start) offers the reigning world champions the opportunity to shake off some rust after the off-season. However, it won't just be for that, they will also experiment with combinations while giving some senior players rest. All indications are that Erasmus will let loose a host of his World Cup-winning Boks against the Baabaas, especially those who play their rugby in Japan and haven't had a lot of game time recently. It could include the likes of Jesse Kriel and Kurt-Lee Arendse, while newbies like Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Vincent Tshituka could get a first Springbok run in the forwards. The bulk of the pack, though, should feature some core players who will be able to lay an early marker for the forwards as they look to keep their domination going in world rugby. 🗣️ "Is your output still the same? If you're 35 and you still do it, you can play!" Rassie Erasmus on his mindset when it comes to balancing youth with experience this season ⚖️ — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 21, 2025 While the Barbarians match is a spectacle in its own right, it also serves an important purpose: laying the foundation for a crucial upcoming Test series against Italy on the 5th and 12th of July in Pretoria and Gqeberha and a one-off clash with Georgia in Nelspruit. With the Azzurri and Georgians steadily improving and hungry to challenge tier-one opposition, the Springboks will use these mid-year fixtures to fine-tune their systems, assess player form, bleed some new Test caps and build vital momentum for a demanding international calendar ahead. Over the next four weekends, they will put the blocks in place to defend their Rugby Championship crown including two home fixtures against Australia in August and double away Tests against the All Blacks — including the all-important one at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September. Francois Venter 🤝 Rohan Janse van Rensburg Almost time for the Springboks to take on the Barbarians. Tickets are available here 🔗 #Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 17, 2025
eNCA
5 hours ago
- eNCA
Wallabies confident but wary of wounded British and Irish Lions
PERTH - Australia coach Joe Schmidt is confident the Wallabies can be competitive against the British and Irish Lions, but he will be wary of a side wounded by defeat to Argentina in a Dublin warm-up. Andy Farrell's squad arrive in Perth on Sunday evening already feeling pressure after a slick Pumas exploited their lack of familiarity and cohesion in a rousing 28-24 victory on Friday. While far from the ideal send-off for a nine-game tour, which includes Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Farrell has time to fine-tune. He was without the bulk of his Leinster players against Argentina, and his options are a lot stronger now they are involved. "We need to be a lot better than that. And we will. We'll dust ourselves off but that will concentrate the minds," he said. The first Test in Brisbane is not until July 19 after five lead-in games, starting against a Nic White-led Western Force on Saturday before meeting the Queensland Reds four days later. Clashes against the NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and a combined Australia-New Zealand XV will follow. Lions skipper Maro Itoje said the loss to Argentina only served to highlight where they can improve. "We showed glimmers of what we can do. But we did not consistently pile on the pressure. Argentina caught us napping sometimes," he said. "We weren't accurate enough in some areas but when we looked good, we looked good." Schmidt is intimately familiar with the Lions coaching staff, none more so than Farrell who was his right-hand man during a successful stretch as Ireland boss. He will know how much the defeat hurt. "I know a lot of those guys very well ... they'll be well coached, well organised and they have strength in depth," Schmidt said of the Lions, speaking before the Argentina match "They can play in so many different ways, they can be really physical, they can be square and come at you, they can get you on the edges. "We're going to have to be really well prepared." Whether they are sufficiently prepared remains to be seen, with Australia's only warm-up a Test against Fiji on July 6. Schmidt is also conscious that outside of his Brumbies cohort, who featured in the Super Rugby semi-finals, the bulk of his squad have not had a competitive game since late May. He was initially said to be against members of his Test squad playing for their Super Rugby clubs against the Lions, to safeguard against injury, but appears to have relaxed his stance. "One thing we're conscious of is making sure our clubs are competitive," said Schmidt. "Some of these guys haven't played -– it'll be four or five weeks since they'll have played. So to get a game under their belt before they actually come into Wallaby camp may be the most advantageous situation." Schmidt was installed to restore Australia's reputation after they slumped to 10th in the world following a horror 2023 World Cup under Eddie Jones. While credited with bringing stability and a new work ethic, the Wallabies are still only ranked eight and Schmidt's record of six wins and seven defeats is nothing to shout about.
