Jake White’s reasoning for his squad, at least his loose trio – So through some reading I finally found something about the Springbok squad that actually makes a bit of sense. Through Jake’s entire explanation I found good reason, except for one glaring mistake (In my humble opinion) – His argument on Butch James. Having watched the Sharks play at times superb, at other times nothing short of inspiring rugby, I find it hard to believe that a central figure in their team such as Butch was left out. And Jake’s reasoning here is the amount of time spent on the sidelines by Butch due to injury. I could not disagree more on this point, Butch definitely played a key role in the Sharks unprecedented success in the Super 14 this past season (the first South African team to ever finish top of the Super 14 log) yet he’s played too little rugby according to coach Jake White.

The interview boiled down to combinations, combinations, combinations. Jake’s viewpoint is that he selects his entire squad based on what he needs for his team to work in combinations, not on individual ability. And these selections change as one player is injured, off form or lacking game time.

“Combinations and role specifics within those combinations are influential in my decision-making. We can always debate the merits of one player over the other, but in the context of combinations there has always been a method to my thinking that has been consistent over four years. I have always asked myself how the three players will combine as a trio. They have to complement each other; not cancel each other out. Furthermore, their value has to go beyond the primary function of a six, seven or eight. Who I choose at lock determines the make-up of my loose-trio and vice-versa.”

Sound thinking, perhaps – But, as they say, the proof’s in the taste of the champagne flowing out of the World Cup, so let’s see…
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