The Vodacom Bulls and their Director of Rugby Jake White have parted ways with immediate effect.
The team released a joint press release saying “Following a thorough end-of-season review, the Vodacom Bulls and Director of Rugby Jake White have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately.”
The announcement means the end of a five-year stint for White, who took the Bulls to three Vodacom United Rugby Championship finals in four years, and also won the Currie Cup twice and the Super Rugby Unlocked trophy twice during the pandemic.
The Vodacom Bulls and Director of Rugby, Jake White, have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of June 2025 following a season review.
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) July 4, 2025
Since joining in 2022, White delivered back-to-back titles in Super Rugby Unlocked and the Carling Currie Cup, and led the Vodacom Bulls to… pic.twitter.com/jzUYWS2BXs
White also took the side to the final of the Rainbow Cup and was successful in his tenure with the team, but ultimately lost the changeroom as the players engineered his exit through a grievance process at the end of the season.
Captain Ruan Nortje and fellow co-captain Marcell Coetzee went to see the CEO Edgar Rathbone near the end of the season with a list of grievances from the players, including threats of players to not renew their contracts if White stayed on.
This, as well as an alleged fallout with Rathbone and White’s acrimonious relationships with his assistant coaches ultimately led to the decision, taken after the Bulls board meeting on Friday.
While neither party refers to the circumstances that led to White’s exit, the World Cup winning coach did make reference to it in his parting shot, where he thanked the Bulls and said he had taken the decision after “consulting the shareholders.”
WHITE'S DECISION
White is known to be close to Bulls co-owner Johann Rupert, and this would ultimately have played a part in the decision.
“I have made the decision to move on. With many years’ coaching experience, I felt it would be difficult to get the squad to perform to the next level. Therefore, in the best interest of both myself and the Bulls I feel it’s time for a new chapter,” White said.
“It’s time for this group to have a new voice. I have enjoyed my time in Pretoria. I met some wonderful friends. I believe that rugby is like life - you win some, you lose some. You learn as you grow. You need to be strong and courageous and, most importantly, it isn’t always fair.
“I would like to thank all the loyal supporters, the Bulls staff that worked tirelessly, and the players for their hard work and dedication. I wish BBRU president Willem Strauss and the amateur game lots of success in the future. To the shareholders, I will always be grateful for all the support and financial backing they gave, far and beyond any other club. Thank you for the privilege. To the Board for their support and CEO, Edgar Rathbone, coaches and management, it was great to be part of this winning culture. To be part of Bulls rugby history has been an absolute honour. I wish Bulls rugby all the best. Hou die blou bo!”
HISTORY OF LEAVING CLUBS EARLY
White has had a history of leaving clubs under less than ideal circumstances.
His tenure at the Sharks ended early in 2014 after just one season while at the Brumbies in Australia his two-year stint saw them beat the British and Irish Lions and get to the final of Super Rugby, yet White left before the end of his contract and the Brumbies dragged him through a legal process.
Still, White was successful at the Bulls but clearly the relationships with players and coaching staff wasn’t as good as it could have been.
And while more stories from inside the camp are bound to come out, the Bulls will now start the search for a new coach in the coming weeks with not much time before the pre-season begins.
The arrival of new players in former Springboks Jan Serfontein, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Marvin Orie, Stormers scrumhalf Paul de Wet, Free Stater Jeandre Rudolph and a handful of others will bolster the squad, while they will only lose Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bath) and Simphiwe Matanzima (Sharks) in the season change.
Bok pivot Handre Pollard will join the team at the end of his Bok commitments, which are only likely to be in December.
PLATITUDES OF PRAISE
White received the normal platitudes on such an exit in the release with Rathbone and Bulls President Willem Strauss both praising him for his time at the club.
“He did amazing work here and it was a privilege to work with him as he helped our team become a superpower again. He has given us a great platform to build upon with a talented crop of young players who are just finding their true offering,” Rathbone said.
“He also helped the bigger playing group develop, with 10 emerging to play for the Springboks. This encouraging growth also ensured we were often in the mix for silverware.”
Club president Willem Strauss thanked White for his openness and contributions, especially at the grassroots level.
“On behalf of the club, the supporters, the staff and all our shareholders, I would like to thank Jake for the work he has done, the love and passion he has shown to our players, people and community during his time with us. His leadership has left a fantastic mark on our club, and the way he fought to get us up when we needed it the most will make him a hero of ours for a long time to come. He leaves the club in a better place than when he arrived.
“During his rugby directorship, he helped elevate our grassroots game in the manner that he devised our integration strategy between the high-performance environment and our club Ecosystem.”
The names said to be targets for the Bulls next coach include former Lions and Gloucester coach Johann Ackermann, Bath head coach Johann van Graan, Glasgow Warriors coach Franco Smith and Leinster assistant coach and former Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
All of these, bar Ackermann, are currently in contract with their clubs and will need to be bought out of their contracts if they are to move to Loftus.