Jake given a mouthful
Outspoken World Cup winner Jake White was given a taste of his own medicine at the weekend, after his new French team crashed in his second game in charge.
A week after a good win over European and French champions Toulon (16-12), White's Montpellier lost 13-20 to Oyonnax – a team White belittled in the build-up to the Round 16 encounter.
And Oyonnax wing Silvère Tian told White exactly what to do with his public statements, labelling the former Springbok coach a 'smartarse' who doesn't know much about the French game.
And the French media also put the boot in, suggesting that White won't be doing much partying in the locker room after his team's loss.
The result means Montpellier dropped back down to eighth place in the standings, just one position ahead of Oyonnax.
It is a big setback, coming in the wake of the ugly public spat between head coach Fabien Galthié – who is still under a suspension imposed since White's arrival at the French outfit – and club President Mohed Altrad. No doubt these off-field distractions did not help the players' motivation.
However, Tian – who scored a double in the win against Montpellier – did not hold back in his post-match reaction.
"They have a manager in Jake White, who was being a 'smartarse' and doesn't know too much about French rugby," the Oyonnax flyer said.
"Already he criticised Montauban, but he doesn't know what it is.
"Also, he called Oyonnax a ProD2 team, so it was a pleasure to show him that the 'ProD2 team' gave his team of stars a real hiding.
"We showed him that he must be humble.
"I think that will serve as a lesson to Jake White.
"Winning against Toulon doesn't mean they are the best, [or] if you're a World Cup winner it doesn't matter once you're on the field!"
Source: AFP
Sensationnel @OyonnaxRugby ! Bravo ! Superbe ambiance ?????? @FabienCibray @Jody_Jenneker @a_tichit @SilvereTian &co.
— Adrien Bertrand (@AdrienBertrand_) January 10, 2015
Bravo a @OyonnaxRugby pour cette victoire ! @FabienCibray @SilvereTian
— Sarah Guyot (@guyot_sarah) January 11, 2015
