A New Era for the All Blacks
Jake White has expressed his admiration for the All Blacks following their recent announcement that Sir Graham Henry will return to their ranks as a selector. White, who previously coached the Springboks from 2004 to 2007 and was in charge of the Bulls until last year, described Henry’s appointment as a “wonderful master stroke.”
Henry will join new All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie and senior assistant coach Neil Barnes as one of the three-time world champions’ selectors. Despite being 79 years old, Henry remains deeply connected to rugby and continues to closely follow the game. He was the All Blacks’ head coach when they won the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
White believes Henry’s involvement in the All Blacks setup will help them close the gap on their arch-rivals, the Springboks, who are currently the number one ranked team in the world. He commended Rennie for utilizing Henry’s rugby knowledge and expects the former All Blacks mentor to be a valuable asset in their camp.
“‘He is an unbelievable selector.’ It’s a wonderful master stroke. He is an unbelievable selector. Look at that Auckland team he put together with Zinzan Brooke, Olo Brown and Sean Fitzpatrick et al. That was a proper rugby team that was so far ahead of its time,” he told RugbyPass.
“He then went to Wales and took them to beat South Africa for the first time. There’s no way he’s just a selector. He’s gonna be a confidant and a motivator for players. He’s gonna be a bouncing board for the coaches. Imagine him sitting at breakfast and talking to the All Blacks about winning the World Cup.”
White also highlighted Henry’s ability to share rugby stories with players, drawing from his deep knowledge of the game. “He knew the greats like Sir Brian Lochore and Colin Meads and will be able to share rugby stories all day, every day in that environment. The German philosopher Georg Hegel said people don’t learn from history; other than that, you don’t learn from history.”
The Legacy of the All Blacks
The All Blacks have long prided themselves on not picking foreign-based players, ensuring that the All Black jersey remains priceless. White pointed out that they could have lost a home World Cup by bringing Nick Evans back, who was playing at Harlequins, rather than Stephen Donald, who had been off for five weeks on a fishing trip.
“And that’s why I applaud them, because they’re not prepared to negotiate on their mantra, the All Blacks come first and that to be an All Black is a massive honour. There is an aura about wearing that All Blacks jersey.”
White also emphasized the importance of learning from history. “And the fact that he comes across as so excited just shows you how big it actually is, and it’s also good to get former coaches involved who have coached against your team, as I did with Eddie Jones in 2007.”
A Return That Surprises Everyone
White, who guided the Springboks to victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, said being involved with the All Blacks again is something which Henry would not have predicted when he left his role as their head coach in 2011.
“One of the most common things when you ask a player to come hand jerseys over is they always talk about never taking it for granted. And number two is always play like it’s your last game, and number three is they would do anything to have one more crack,” he added.
“So to get a guy like Graham Henry, who probably thought he would never walk into an All Blacks changing room again, an opportunity like that is phenomenal. And the fact that he comes across as so excited just shows you how big it actually is, and it’s also good to get former coaches involved who have coached against your team, as I did with Eddie Jones in 2007.”
White concluded by highlighting the value of learning from past experiences. “Asking them what did you say in your team talk? What do you do in your week? And what are the dangers you foresee when you play that team? Why wouldn’t somebody use a Sir Clive Woodward or a Jake White? We really don’t learn enough from history.”
