Jake White departs Bulls amid player revolt, successor hunt begins

Jake White, the veteran coach who led South Africa to World Cup glory in 2007, has officially stepped down as head coach of the Bulls, ending a turbulent yet impactful five-year tenure.

The departure follows escalating unrest within the squad and coaching team after the Bulls’ defeat in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final.

Internal tensions reportedly peaked following White’s stinging remarks after the URC final loss to Leinster, where he said the Bulls’ players “weren’t good enough” to match the Irish side.

Senior players, including captain Ruan Nortjé and Marcell Coetzee, expressed dissatisfaction and brought their concerns directly to the management. White’s strained relationship with his assistant coaches, Chris Rossouw and Andries Bekker, further fueled the crisis.

These mounting issues led the Bulls’ board, including representatives from BBRU, Remgro, and African Rainbow Capital, to meet on July 4 and finalise his departure.

Despite the fallout, White leaves behind a legacy of achievement at Loftus Versfeld. Under his leadership, the Bulls reached three URC finals in four years, developing a youthful and competitive squad.

Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone credited White with building long-term foundations:

“Jake has tremendous rugby IP… his work in establishing a winning culture will have lasting impact.”

In a parting statement, White said:

“To be part of Bulls rugby history has been an absolute honour. I want to thank all our loyal supporters—it was a privilege to represent this franchise.”

Attention now turns to who will take the reins ahead of the 2025/26 season. Among the leading candidates are Johan Ackermann, the former Lions coach who is currently assisting the Junior Springboks, and Johann van Graan, who recently guided Bath Rugby to a stunning treble in England.