Jake White facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jake White

White in 2014
Birth name	Jacob Westerduin
Date of birth	(1963-12-13) 13 December 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Johannesburg, South Africa
School	Jeppe High School for Boys
Occupation(s)	Rugby coach
Rugby union career
Teams coached Years Team 2002 South Africa Under-21 2004–2007 South Africa 2012–2013 Brumbies 2013–2014 Sharks 2014 Tonga (Technical Advisor) 2014–2017 Montpellier 2017–2020 Toyota Verblitz 2020–2025 Bulls

Jacob Charles White (born 13 December 1963) is a famous rugby union coach from South Africa. He is best known for leading the South African national team, called the Springboks, to victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He also helped them win the 2004 Tri Nations tournament.

Before coaching the main Springbok team, Jake White also led the Under-21 Springbok side to win the Under-21 World Cup in 2002. After his time with the Springboks, he coached other top rugby teams around the world. These included the Brumbies in Australia, the Sharks in South Africa, and Montpellier in France. He also worked as a technical advisor for the Tongan national team.

In 2011, Jake White was honored by being added to the World Rugby Hall of Fame. This recognized his amazing achievements as a rugby coach. Since 2020, he has been coaching the Bulls in South Africa.

Jake White's Early Coaching Days

Jake White was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He went to Jeppe High School for Boys where he played rugby. He started his coaching journey at high school, first at Parktown Boys' High School, then back at his old school, Jeppe. His success with school teams led him to coach provincial school teams.

He coached different age-group teams, like Under-19 and Under-21 sides. He also helped the Springbok team by analyzing their games using videos. From 1997 to 1999, he was a technical advisor for the Springboks when they set a record of 17 straight wins. In 1999, he was an assistant coach for the Under-21 Springboks, who won a big tournament in Argentina. He later helped the main Springbok team as an assistant coach from 2000 to 2001. In 2002, he led the Under-21 Springbok team to win the Under-21 Rugby Union World Cup.

Becoming the Springbok Coach

Jake White became the head coach of the national Springbok team in early 2004. This happened after the team had a tough time at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. One of his first big decisions was to make John Smit the team captain.

Winning the Tri Nations in 2004

White's time as Springbok coach started very well. They won a series against Ireland and then beat Wales and a team of Pacific Islanders. After these wins, he led South Africa to win their first Tri Nations trophy since 1998. Because of this success, his contract was extended until after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Later in 2004, the Springboks went on a tour. They beat Wales and Scotland but lost to Ireland and England. They finished the tour with a win against Argentina. The Springboks' strong return to form was recognized with many awards. The team was named Team of the Year, Jake White was named Coach of the Year, and player Schalk Burger was named Player of the Year.

Challenges in 2005 and 2006

In the 2005 Tri Nations Series, the Springboks and the All Blacks (New Zealand) both won three games. However, New Zealand won the championship based on bonus points.

The 2006 season started well with a win against Scotland. But then the team faced some tough losses, including a big defeat to Australia (49-0). They also had close games against New Zealand and Australia that they lost in the final moments. Many key players suffered injuries, which made things even harder for the team. Despite these challenges, Jake White used this time to try out new players and combinations. This helped the team build more depth and learn important lessons for the upcoming World Cup.

Becoming World Champions in 2007

Jake White with the William Webb Ellis Cup (2007)

The Springboks started 2007 incredibly strong, beating England twice by large scores. This was important because England was also in their World Cup group. There were some disagreements about player selection, but the team kept focusing on their goals.

They began their Tri-Nations campaign with a strong win against Australia. They then had a close game against New Zealand, which they narrowly lost. For the rest of the Tri-Nations, Jake White decided to rest many of his main players to keep them fresh for the World Cup. Even with a less experienced team, they played well, showing the team's growing strength.

The Springboks went into the 2007 Rugby World Cup with confidence. Their first game was a very physical match against Samoa, which they won convincingly. Their next big game was against England, the defending champions. The Springboks dominated this match, winning easily and showing their strong tactical play and defense. This victory set the tone for their entire tournament. They continued to play with a powerful kicking game, solid defense, and excellent line-outs.

They finished their pool matches by beating the USA. Jake White was happy with how his team was playing, saying they were putting their game plan together well. After winning the World Cup final, Jake White was named IRB Coach of the Year for the second time.

Shortly after the World Cup, Jake White decided not to continue as the Springbok coach. He later released his autobiography, In Black and White, The Jake White Story, which became very popular in South Africa.

Coaching After the Springboks

After leading the Springboks to World Cup glory, Jake White worked with the International Rugby Board (IRB) from 2008 to 2012, helping with their technical committee. He also helped with programs to support underprivileged people through the South African Rugby Legends Association.

Coaching the Brumbies (2012–2013)

In 2012, Jake White became the coach of the Brumbies, an Australian team in the Super Rugby competition. In 2013, the Brumbies finished first in their conference. They won a tough semi-final qualifier against the Cheetahs and then beat the Bulls in Pretoria, which was a huge win as the Bulls rarely lost at home in finals. White called this "the greatest the Brumbies have ever had."

The Brumbies then played in the 2013 Super Rugby final against the Chiefs in New Zealand. They played a strong game but narrowly lost 27-22. In 2013, the Brumbies also made history by beating the British & Irish Lions during their tour, which was a rare loss for the Lions against a non-international team.

After this successful period, Jake White surprisingly resigned from the Brumbies in 2013 to return to South Africa. He then became the director of rugby for the Sharks team.

Coaching the Sharks (2014)

At the Sharks, Jake White made some important changes. He decided that Pat Lambie would be the main fly-half and François Steyn would play at inside center. He also changed the team captain to Bismarck du Plessis.

The Sharks started their 2014 Super Rugby season very well, winning their first game against the Bulls. They were undefeated for a while, but then lost to the Bulls in a rematch, and key players like Pat Lambie got injured. Despite this, White led the Sharks to finish at the top of the South African conference. They won their quarter-final match against the Highlanders but then lost to the Crusaders in the semi-finals.

Just like with the Brumbies, Jake White resigned from the Sharks after only two months after the semi-final. He wanted to pursue an international coaching role.

Working with Tonga (2014)

In October 2014, Jake White joined the Tongan national team as a technical advisor for their coach, Mana Otai. White helped Tonga win two out of three games during their European tour. They beat Georgia and the United States, showing strong defense and new attacking skills. Tonga hoped to keep White for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but he moved on to a new role.

Coaching Montpellier (2014–2017)

In December 2014, Jake White was announced as the new boss for the French club Montpellier. He was put in charge of all coaching aspects for the club. He brought in former Springbok player Shaun Sowerby as the new forwards coach. White coached Montpellier until 2017.

Coaching Toyota Verblitz (2017–2020)

After his time in France, Jake White moved to Japan to coach Toyota Verblitz. He led this team from 2017 until 2020.

Coaching the Bulls (2020–Present)

In 2020, Jake White returned to South Africa to coach the Bulls. He quickly brought success to the team. He was named Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2021. Under his leadership, the Bulls won the Super Rugby Unlocked in 2020 and the Currie Cup in both 2020-21 and 2021. In the 2021–22 season, the Bulls were runners-up in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship. He continues to coach the Bulls, with his contract set to run until 2025.

Jake White's Springbok Coaching Record

Here's a summary of Jake White's coaching record with the Springboks:

By Year

By Opponent Country

Opponent	Games Played	Won	Lost	Drew	Win Percentage (%)
Argentina	3	3			100
Australia	11	6	5		55
England	7	5	2		71
Fiji	1	1			100
France	4	1	2	1	25
Ireland	4	2	2		50
Namibia	1	1			100
New Zealand	9	3	6		33
Pacific Islanders	1	1			100
Samoa	2	2			100
Scotland	4	4			100
Tonga	1	1			100
United States	1	1			100
Uruguay	1	1			100
Wales	4	4			100
TOTAL	54	36	17	1	67

Key Achievements as Coach

Jake White has achieved many great things in his coaching career:

• He won the Tri Nations with the Springboks in 2004.
• He led the Springboks to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
• He helped the South African team climb from 6th to 1st in the world rugby rankings.
• He was named the IRB International Coach of the Year twice (2004, 2007).
• He coached the Springboks to their biggest ever score (134–3 against Uruguay in 2005).
• He achieved the first home series win against France for South Africa since 1975.
• He led the first victory over the All Blacks at Newlands since 1976.
• His Springbok team had consecutive wins against Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 1998.
• His Springbok team was the most successful South African team at home, going undefeated in 11 tests (and later 13).
• His team was the first South African team to beat Australia three times in the same year since 1971.
• His team was the first South African team to beat Australia in Australia since 1998.

Other achievements with the Bulls:

• Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2021 (Bulls).
• Winning the Super Rugby Unlocked in 2020.
• Winning the Currie Cup in 2020-21 and 2021.
• Finishing as runner-up in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship.

See also

In Spanish: Jake White para niños