March 9 (Reuters) – World Cup-winning coach Jake White
has turned down the chance to apply for the vacant England job,
saying on Friday he was committed to Super Rugby franchise ACT
Brumbies.
Brumbies had released a statement on Thursday revealing that
White, who coached South Africa to victory in the 2007 World
Cup, had been approached by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as it
seeks to find a permanent replacement for Martin Johnson.
Asked at a news conference in Canberra on Friday whether he
was interested in the post, the 48-year-old South African
replied: “No, no, no, no.
“I’m here for four years with the Brumbies. I’ve signed on
the bottom line and you’ve got to judge people by their actions.
“Nothing’s changed – I’m still committed to the Brumbies.”
White, who took over at the Brumbies last July, said there
was nothing wrong with having expressed an interest in the role
and did not rule out a move in the future.
“It’s something I’d look at – it doesn’t mean now, it
doesn’t mean leaving my job,” he said.
England are currently being overseen by caretaker coach
Stuart Lancaster, who took over after Johnson’s resignation
following last year’s troubled World Cup campaign in New
Zealand.
(Writing by Sonia Oxley; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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