Smit: White back to own self
2007-11-23 21:11
Cardiff - Jake White has reverted to his "old self" in the run-up to Saturday's Millennium Stadium match against Wales - his final Test as coach of South Africa, according to the Springboks' World Cup-winning captain John Smit.
"He's been completely different," the hooker told reporters at the squad's hotel on Friday.
"I haven't had to give him one pep talk or calm him down or tell him that things are going to be okay.
"He's back to his old self from 2004. It's good to see. He's sacrificed a huge amount as an individual to put rugby absolutely first for the last four years and I've really seen the old friend of mine back."
Just over a month after guiding his country to the greatest prize in world rugby union, White is stepping down after four years in charge of a team unlike any other in the international game.
'Will always have colourful events'
After having his selection policy criticised by both the traditional rugby establishment and government politicians, White decided not to seek a renewal of his contract after the South Africa Rugby Union re-advertised his job while the World Cup was still in progress.
But Smit, who held aloft the Webb Ellis Trophy after the Springboks' 15-6 final win over England in Paris on October 20, said South African rugby wouldn't be the same without a backdrop of seemingly constant upheaval.
"I think the guys would struggle to handle it if things weren't going awry. We will always have colourful events in our rugby in South Africa because it's such an important thing to everyone.
"The most important thing is to make sure South Africa remain the number one side in the world."
This week saw White hand out the jerseys to the team, a significant honour in Springbok terms, and Smit said it was particularly poignant that one of the recipients was reserve forward Heinke van der Merwe, who will make his Test debut on Saturday if he comes off the bench.
"Jake coached at schoolboy level. Heinke's father was one of the coaches of the school his team played against and they were friends. Heinke was this two-year-old little brat jumping over the couches while Jake was coaching at school and now he's handing him his first Test jersey."
Smit, who since the World Cup has joined French club Clermont Auvergne, is one of the few South Africa players on show this weekend who has had any form of match practice since their triumph in France.
But he said training this week had left him confident about their readiness to face in Wales in what will be both sides' first fixture since the World Cup.
'Kankowski can become Bok great'
"We'll only know in the game how much we've lost from a match-hardness perspective, but I've seen how the guys have run the plays this week and it's like we've never really left the World Cup."
Someone for whom Saturday's match will be particularly significant is debutant No 8 Ryan Kankowski. Smit, who played alongside him at Natal, said the back-row forward had it in him to become a Springbok great.
"Talent wise, skill wise, I haven't seen many like him. He's sort of like a combination of Shaun Sowerby (now with French giants Toulouse) and Bob Skinstad (who retired after the World Cup) put together.
"Bob had a massive amount of skill and could change things, take a gap and finish it and Shaun was the classic eighth man who was in the right place at the right time when he played in South Africa.
"That's a good combination to have. I think this is the start of an illustrious career."