Springbok captain John Smit admitted on Friday he was taken aback by the decision to recall coach Jake White before the end of their tour but insisted it would not affect the team’s performance come Saturday’s second Test against England at Twickenham.
White, who has seen his side lose to both Ireland and England, will return to Cape Town on Tuesday to meet with South African Rugby’s powerful presidents’ council — made up of the presidents of the country’s 14 provincial unions — on Wednesday.
He will then fly back to London late on Wednesday, arrive in the British capital on Thursday, and take charge of the side ahead of the final tour match against a World XV in Leicester a week on Sunday.
”I don’t really know anything about it,” veteran hooker Smit told reporters at the team’s London hotel here Friday.
”Jake has taken the pressure off us completely. He’s taken care of the off-field side of things.
”The build up has been everything that it normally is and Jake has remained utterly professional. He hasn’t shown one bit of frustration. Honestly, you’d swear nothing was going on,” Smit added.
South Africa’s tour began with a record 32-15 defeat by Ireland in Dublin earlier this month and last week they went down 23-21 against England, despite being 12 points ahead early in the second-half.
Although backed at the time by South African officials, White’s decision to rest several senior players and give opportunities to lesser-known figures in a bid to bolster the Springboks’ squad strength ahead of next year’s World Cup in France, has since been widely criticised back home.
Before this tour began White was already under intense pressure after a southern hemisphere season where South Africa lost five successive Tests before a dramatic one-point Tri-Nations win over world number ones New Zealand at Rustenberg in September.
And their two defeats on this trip have left them with a lacklustre 2006 record to date of played 11, won four and lost seven.
Even so, the decision to recall White before this tour had finished stunned many observers.
However, Springbok tour manager Zola Yeye insisted White’s return was no surprise. ”This was always scheduled,” said Yeye, ”and was probably done so some time ago.”
Asked whether it was suspicious that a coach was recalled during the final week of a tour, Yeye replied: ”You are trying to put words in my mouth. It is not such a simple question. I don’t wish to pre-empt what will happen in that [presidents’ council] meeting.”
Yeye added that as South African Rugby Union president Regan Hoskins was on tour with the Boks, if there was anything ”untoward” about the meeting, Hoskins ”could have spoken to him [White] at the breakfast table. They are staying in the same hotel”.
Despite Yeye’s denials, there is growing speculation that the president’s council is unhappy with White’s performance.
Nevertheless, according to a source who spoke to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity, White will keep his job at least until his contract expires after the end of the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Yeye also announced on Friday the squad to play the World XV.
This saw the recall to Springbok colours of veteran prop Cobus Visagie, currently playing club rugby in England for Saracens.
Earlier this week White admitted he may have been wrong in not selecting Visagie and giving an earlier debut to flanker Kabamba Floors, who makes his Test debut at Twickenham on Saturday.
Several players will be heading home ahead of the World XV match including Smit, lock Johann Muller and backs Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers and wing Akona Ndungane.
In White’s absence, the Springboks will be looked after by forwards coach Gert Smal and Allister Coetzee, the backline coach.