Jake White says his goal is to create a special DNA within the Vodacom Bulls’ ranks to ensure they become a powerhouse franchise again.
White has recently stepped into the director of rugby role of the Pretoria-based franchise, and has already begun planning the way forward for the former three-time Vodacom Super Rugby champions.
Talking with Sport24‘s Lloyd Burnard, White explained that he is currently in talks with player agents, looking at potential signings with a particular focus on young talent.
‘The Crusaders are obviously a powerhouse in Super Rugby and the Canterbury Mitre 10 Cup team is a powerhouse as well. That whole pipeline of the coaches and players is something we want to do here at the Bulls,’ he said.
‘We want to try and create a special DNA at the Bulls that doesn’t allow us to make the mistakes that we’ve made in the past where we went from being one of the best teams to a team that is middle and bottom of the table.
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‘It’s difficult over the phone to start talking to players. I think I’d like to do it face to face when I meet all of them, hopefully sooner rather than later.
‘It’s difficult because you want to be humane about it. You’re talking about people’s livelihoods. They also understand that there will be changes. There need to be changes. You can’t keep things the way they are and expect different results.’
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A lot has been made of the fact that White will also take over as Bulls head coach next season and many have wondered where that will leave the current coaching staff. But White has indicated that he is keen to work alongside them.
‘I’ve known a lot of them my whole life. Chris Rossouw [assistant coach] was in the Springbok team when I was coaching under Nick Mallett. Pine Pienaar [defence coach] was a junior coach at Free State when I was coaching as a youngster. I know Pote [Human] well enough to know who he is. I don’t know him personally, but by all accounts, they are all very nice guys and passionate about the Bulls,’ explained White.
‘It’s difficult. I’m just getting a feeling for what they’ve done, how they’ve done it, what’s worked, what their feelings are in terms of what they think should change.’
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
