The pressure on Springbok coach Jake White intensified on Thursday after it was announced he will be making a 48-hour round-the-world trip to attend a meeting of South African Rugby’s president’s council in Cape Town on November 29.
He will then rejoin the squad for the final match of their tour of Ireland and England.
White has left several of his leading players at home for a tour marking the centenary of the Springboks’ first trip to the British Isles, arguing they need to be kept fresh ahead of next year’s World Cup in France and that giving new faces a chance to shine is good for developing the squad’s overall depth.
Results, however, have not gone South Africa’s way.
Their tour started earlier this month with a record 32-15 defeat by Ireland. And last weekend they lost their seventh successive match against England, beaten 23-21 by the world champions at Twickenham despite being 12 points up early in the second-half.
South Africa, however, have a chance to avenge that defeat when they play England again in the second of two Tests at Twickenham this Saturday.
During the southern hemisphere season, South Africa lost five straight matches, including a 49-0 Tri-Nations hammering away to Australia in Brisbane in July, before ending their losing streak with a dramatic 21-20 win against world number ones New Zealand in Rustenburg in September.
Last week South Africa’s powerful Blue Bulls provincial union (formerly Northern Transvaal) passed a vote of no confidence in White, calling for his immediate resignation and that of his coaching staff.
A statement on Thursday, issued by Springbok media manager Vusi Kama in London, said White will return to coach the squad for its non-cap international match against a World XV in Leicester, central England, on December 3.
It added: ”SA Rugby will issue a media statement after the meeting in Cape Town, relating to all key matters discussed at the president’s council gathering. No further media statements will be made before then, relating to the council meeting and its agenda items.” — AFP
