Wales v South Africa:The World Cup-winning coach Jake White, who is preparing South Africa for his 54th and final Test, against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, has no regrets about leaving the job after four successful years in charge, even though he believes the Springboks have an outstanding chance of becoming the first team to successfully defend the title in 2011.
White's departure from the post he has held since the end of 2003 has been messy despite his success in France last month. Advised he did not have to reapply for his job, he was told that he did after the deadline for applications had elapsed, and the South African Rugby Union is considering issuing him with a disrepute charge for remarks he made in his recently-published autobiography.
"There is a time to come and a time to leave and I am really content about the way things have turned out," said White, who is 44 next month. "When I took the job, Nick Mallett (the former South Africa coach who is now in charge of Italy) said there are two types of Springbok coach: those who have been fired and those who are about to be. I am going to serve out my full four years, (which is) unheard of in South Africa. I have achieved what I set out to by winning the World Cup and, as much as part of me would like to hang on, it is a new era for the team."
White had hoped to use the matches against Wales and the Barbarians as a farewell for his World Cup winning squad, but scrumhalf Fourie du Preez yesterday became the sixth member of the starting line-up from the final in Paris to pull out of the tour following Percy Montgomery, Butch James, Os du Randt, Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw.
"What I have emphasised to the players is that it is still an important match," said White. "There are a lot of new guys but nothing beats playing for your country and Saturday's game is not lessened because a number of World Cup players are missing."
White was linked with the Wales job before it was offered to Warren Gatland. "A couple of guys from the Welsh Rugby Union spoke to me, but they were looking to make an appointment quickly and the timing was not right for me," he said.
"Warren has an excellent record with Wasps and Waikato and while Wales have dipped since winning the Grand Slam in 2005, one thing they have going for them is their ability to score tries and play a game based on off-loading and width. You have seen that with their regions in the Heineken European Cup this month, but what Warren will add is more defensive steel.
"We analysed Wales more than any other team in the World Cup because we expected to play them in the quarter-finals. It turned out that we played Fiji and they will want to make up for that disappointment, especially as they will be playing for their places in the first match of the Six Nations."
Wales will announce their side today, with Gavin Henson a contender for the starting line-up after being named in the finalised squad that has been reduced from 31 to 25.
The Llanelli Scarlets' fullback Morgan Stoddart is poised to make his international debut, while the hooker Matthew Rees has been ruled out for six weeks with a damaged hand.
