Jake White reportedly set to return to URC
TRANSFER TALK: You can’t keep a good coach down – or, in Jake White’s case, unemployed for long.
The former Springbok head coach is one of three candidates shortlisted for the head coach position at Benetton, according to RugbyPass.
The Italian United Rugby Championship outfit are searching for a successor to Calum MacRae, who will leave at the end of the season to join Dan McFarland’s coaching staff at Newcastle.
White, 62, spent four years in charge of the Springboks between 2004 and 2007 and is keen to return to club rugby after parting ways with the Bulls last July following an end-of-season review.
He guided the Springboks from sixth in the World Rankings in 2003 to No. 1 in 2007, culminating in a Rugby World Cup triumph over England in France. At the Bulls, he transformed a mid-table side into genuine URC contenders.
According to the report, White – whose coaching CV includes stints with the Brumbies, Montpellier and Toyota Verblitz – has already been interviewed by the Italian club.
Former England interim head coach Richard Cockerill is also in the frame. He has been out of the game since his dismissal by the Georgian Rugby Union from both the national team and the Black Lions in December.
The Leicester Tigers great had been linked with French side Brive, but reports suggest Grégory Patat – recently sacked by Bayonne – is set to take charge of the ambitious Pro D2 outfit.
Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl, 47, has also been interviewed. The former Treviso lock, who earned eight caps for Italy during an eight-year stint at the club, would represent a bold appointment.
Despite serving two years on Treviso’s coaching staff before moving to Cardiff in February 2024, he only took full control of the Welsh side earlier this season and remains relatively inexperienced at elite level.
