The Bulls add a clause in Jake White's contract to avoid another John Mitchell situation

March 27, 2020
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Ultimate Rugby

Earlier this week the Bulls announced that former World Cup-winning head coach Jake White has joined the union as the side's new director of Rugby. Since winning the Rugby World Cup with the Springboks, White has held numerous posts across the globe. He took a break from coaching right after the Rugby World Cup and worked with World Rugby as he assisted with their technical committee and also held positions in the South African Rugby Legends Association's upliftment programmes for underprivileged people.

He returned to coaching after the 2011 Rugby World Cup as he led the Brumbies to top of the Australian Super Rugby conference in 2012 and third overall. The side would reach the final of the competition in White's first season in charge but would lose out to the Chiefs.

He left the Brumbies soon after to join the Sharks ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby season. White helped the side reach the semi-finals of Super Rugby before resigning to take up a role with a team at the Rugby World Cup 2015 which ended up being Tonga, who he was a technical advisor for. White would coach Montpellier until the 2017 and recruited a ton of South Africans after the Rugby World Cup in England before heading to Japan to join Toyota Verblitz. His time with Verblitz came to an end last year as he was replaced by former All Blacks' coach Steve Hansen.

Role with the Bulls

Following the announcement as White as the new director of rugby for the Bulls, replacing Alan Zondagh, the Bulls have confirmed that White will coach their Super Rugby team in 2021.

While White fills the post left vacant by Alan Zondagh, who resigned in January, he will also take over from Pote Human as the Bulls’ Super Rugby head coach in 2021.

The Bulls have struggled somewhat since the departure of John Mitchell, who joined Eddie Jones' England coach staff in 2018, and Bulls CEO Alfons Meyer told Netwerk24 that White would not go the same route.

‘We talked to Jake about it for a long time. He explained in detail what happened in the past with the other teams he coached.

‘There is also a clause in his contract that will prevent him from jumping to the next best post.

‘We are convinced that Jake is fully committed to the Bulls.’

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