The Brumbies are hoping that season 2012 is a chance to restore a winning culture after a disastrous 2011 campaign after appointing Jake White to a 4 year contract.
The coaching dramas that plagued the team have been well documented but the Brumbies are hoping the appointment of the 2007 World Cup winning coach will bring the team back to the glory days and give the fans in Canberra something to cheer about.
White has been in Canberra since July and hit the ground running by holding a series of camps in Sydney, where the majority of the squad were playing club rugby. This has proved beneficial not only for the players but also the coaching staff as it gave a chance for everyone to get to know each other and not have to wait until pre-season training to begin the ‘meet and greet process’. White says the focus of these camps was not just on Rugby but to learn how each other thinks.
Despite not holding a head coach position since he guided South Africa to World Cup glory in 2007, White feels he is up to the challenge and one that he’s looking forward to. 2012 is probably the biggest challenge the Brumbies have faced since their inaugural year with a large number of new faces within the squad and a revamped coaching staff.
To help White take on the challenge of coaching a club side, some old Brumbies stalwarts have been brought in to assist him. The assistant positions have been streamlined to two, with former head coach Laurie Fisher rejoining the team after a three year stint as forwards coach of Irish side Munster. Joining Fisher as an assistant is former Brumbies flyhalf Stephen Larkham, who retains his backline coaching position from 2011. White will also be calling on former Brumbies captain George Gregan and 2001 Super 12 winning coach Eddie Jones to help the new generation of players that are now at the club.
‘There was method in that’ White says of bringing back former players and coaches. ‘I’m not here to instill the South African ways into the Brumbies, I’m here to honour the fact the Brumbies have had a special aura and ethos about them’.
The input of those former players and coaches will be invaluable as the Brumbies try and get back to winning ways. ‘The Brumbies have had a point of difference in the way they’ve done things and I wanted to tap into those resources’ White said.
The input from Eddie Jones was also instrumental in White securing the coaching position when it became available. By a stroke of fortune, Jones was visiting White in South Africa and was able to answer questions about the Brumbies set up. White has admired the way the Brumbies have played in the past and impressed with what they have achieved since their inception in 1996.
The changes aren’t just limited to on field coaches, with a new head strength and conditioning coach in Dean Benton joining the club. Benton has previously worked with Jones in the Wallabies set up and has also worked with the Brisbane Broncos NRL club and comes highly recommended.
Benton doesn’t just look after the gym side of things and has helped the club employ a chef that will look after the players breakfast and lunch needs with specially prepared meals. Bentons association with the Australian Institute of Sport, which is based in Canberra, has helped come up with nutritional meals and will go a long way to getting the playing squad in the best shape they can be for the rigors of Super Rugby.
Time will tell if this appointment is the right one, but with the coaching resume that White possesses it’s clear that the Brumbies are serious about restoring the faith amongst the fans that haven’t tasted finals Rugby since 2004.
