Jake White in the firing line after mutiny in Bulls camp from players and backroom staff – report

Jake White’s role as the Bulls’ director of rugby is believed to be in a precarious position, according to reports in the South African media.

An article in Rapport revealed that former Lions head coach Johan Ackermann, who represented the Johannesburg-based outfit and the Bulls as a player, is being lined up to take over the coaching reins from White.

This, after Springboks duo Ruan Nortjé and Marcell Coetzee led a player delegation to Bulls management and subsequently expressed their dissatisfaction with White‘s leadership style.

According to Rapport‘s sources, some Bulls players have threatened not to sign new contracts and even cut short or not extend existing deals unless White is replaced.

White’s media statements contributed to the unhappiness

Although the full reasons for the players’ dissatisfaction have not been revealed, some of White’s media statements about certain players have contributed to the unhappiness in the Bulls camp.

A typical example was White’s comment late last year that highly rated Springboks outside back Canan Moodie “had eaten too much food at the buffet” while on tour with the Bulls.

Rapport also revealed that White’s situation was exacerbated due to the fact that he has lost the support of two of his assistant coaches, Chris Rossouw and Andries Bekker, as well as the Bulls’ chief executive Edgar Rathbone.

Bulls insiders revealed that White’s relationship with his assistants had deteriorated to such an extent that they did not communicate with each other during last weekend’s United Rugby Championship (URC) final defeat against Leinster at Croke Park.

Leinster cruised to a 32-7 victory in that encounter, and after the match, White reportedly worsened his relationship with his players and assistants by hailing the Irish province’s player depth and saying the Bulls could not compete with their opponents.

That defeat was the Bulls’ third in a final since the URC began in the 2021/22 season.

Rapport revealed that the Bulls’ senior players and assistant coaches are now forming a united front against their 61-year-old director of rugby, whose relationship with Rossouw and Bekker has been in tatters for some time.

Jake White: Irish don’t give enough ‘credit’ to Leinster who are ‘not a normal rugby team’

Earlier this season, Rathbone’s help was apparently requested to resolve an explosive situation between White and Bekker while the Bulls were on tour.

That episode is seemingly one of several incidents that contributed to Rathbone and White’s relationship no longer being as healthy as it used to be.

The Bulls’ top management was contacted and queried on the matter but did not want to discuss the allegations.

‘We have a board meeting on July 4’

“We are not going to respond to the rumours,” Bulls president Willem Strauss told Rapport. “All I can say is that we have a board meeting on July 4 where we will, as usual, evaluate the past season and discuss the way forward.

“We would have preferred that nothing about this appeared in the media on Sunday.”

According to Rapport‘s information, Strauss has said earlier this season that a new voice was needed at Loftus Versfeld.

Ackermann could possibly become that voice if the Bulls’ management decide that the relationship between White, his players and the rest of his backroom staff has become untenable.

If White, who was the Springboks’ head coach when they won the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, is forced to leave his position, Ackermann is expected to take charge of the Bulls’ URC side. White had previously been in touch with Ackermann in the hope that he could coach the Bulls during this year’s Currie Cup competition.

The former Gloucester boss was not available, however, as he is part of the Junior Springboks’ coaching staff until the end of July. He knows Rathbone well and they have an excellent relationship after working together for several years at the Lions.

Rathbone was the managing director of Ellis Park Stadium before being appointed chief executive of the Bulls.

According to Rapport, Ackermann will also have the support of Strauss, who was eager to bring him into the Bulls set-up when John Mitchell’s tenure with the men from Pretoria ended in 2018.

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