Bulls coach Jake White frustrated at SA rugby’s brawn drain

Bulls coach Jake White has again expressed frustration that South African teams groom players to make European teams stronger in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup. 

Every year, talented South African players are lured on huge money transfers to Japan and Europe, weakening this country's franchises in the highly competitive URC and Champions Cup. 

Last week, the Bulls lost 47-14 to a Leinster team that was fully stocked with a number of players who featured for Ireland during the Six Nations. White would like to see South African teams achieve the same and the best players staying in South Africa. 

“As soon as the decision is made [by South Africa's football hierarchy], the best players play in South Africa, or it can take forever — that's as easy as it is,” White said ahead of the Bulls' Champions Cup round of 16 clash against Lyon at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. 

“You must understand one thing, you always have to compare apples with apples. We play Lyon this weekend — their hooker Liam Coltman is an All Black, their tighthead prop [Feao Fotuaika] plays for Tonga, Monty Ioane plays for Italy and Semi Radradra plays for Fiji. 

“We don’t pick international players from other countries like Fiji, Tonga or the All Blacks. We can only pick South African players, but if you can’t pick the best South African players available, all we are going to do is pay our school fees in big competitions by playing young and enthusiastic players who will then leave to play against you. 

“We can’t have a situation where we coach guys who only end up going to other big clubs. A lot of clubs talk about their desire to be big, but you only ever get that by keeping your team together for many years. 

“Look at the Springbok team, they have been together for eight years and that’s a recipe for success and not a hidden secret. I am not taking anything away from the group I have now because you only work with what you have. 

“But if you had RG Snyman, Lood de Jager, Jason Jenkins, Jesse Kriel, Handrè Pollard, Ivan van Zyl, Hanro Liebenberg and Trevor Nyakane for last weekend against Leinster, I can tell you now the score would not have been the same.” 

White said the Bulls lost to a Leinster combination that has a lot of experience. 

“It is just the opposition is seasoned, wiser, they have experience, and I have been around long enough to know how it was in the old days. Those guys would have been playing for their provincial sides in South Africa.

“I can only control what I can control, and I need this group to grow over the next few years. For that to happen we have to put them in pressure situations and see whether they swim or sink.” 

White said the Bulls just have to work harder and he has support of the shareholders at Loftus such as Johann Rupert. 

“What we can control is to train harder and make less mistakes because when you make mistakes against teams like Leinster you get punished. Our owners are on exactly the same page as me — Johann Rupert knows sport better than most owners and he is fully aware that sometimes you play against a team that can bring seven internationals off the bench.

“Players like Hugo Keenan and Garry Ringrose didn't play, I can’t even remember other players who didn't play by heart, but there are probably four to five guys who will make Leinster even stronger. 

“When you analyse it, we have to play catch-up and one of the ways to do that is to train better, be more accurate, make sure that we are hard on ourselves in sessions, and make sure we don’t make mistakes so that we don’t get punished against good teams. 

“Those are the things we will do and from a leadership point of view we are going to have to find a way to compete with those big clubs over time. My Christmas wishlist is to be able to pick my strongest South African side possible and I am not asking for too much.

“Hopefully father Christmas will bring a few of the Springboks back to play in South Africa.”