Jake White's new job

"Montpellier have formally unveiled their new coaching staff to be headed up - for now - by former Springbok coach Jake White"

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_9625452,00.html

He seems to have had and be linked with just about every job going since his World Cup win with South Africa, and hasn't really settled anywhere.

I know it isn't their way, but he'd make an excellent choice to turn France around.

FES you are right. White would be an excellent choice for France but surely we don't want a strong France?

beshocked wrote:FES you are right. White would be an excellent choice for France but surely we don't want a strong France?

The problem with France isn't so much their coaches but the sheer number of foreign imports French teams are now buying. When some of their top clubs can field teams with over half of the players not qualified for France it has to make any coaches job hard.

bedfordwelsh wrote:

beshocked wrote:FES you are right. White would be an excellent choice for France but surely we don't want a strong France?

The problem with France isn't so much their coaches but the sheer number of foreign imports French teams are now buying.  When some of their top clubs can field teams with over half of the players not qualified for France it has to make any coaches job hard.

They can still put out a pretty damn talented XV, it's just that Saint-Andre often chooses not to. Watching France over the last couple of seasons at times has been remarkable - they look completely chaotic, and he chops and changes his XV willy nilly.

You are right though, the massive influx of mercenaries into the French leagues is handicapping them massively and at the same time injecting huge levels of debt and unsustainable expenditure upon their club. I don't envy the French league one iota, and you just know after the World Cup that the next hoard of SH retirees will be heading over for their pay cheque.

bedfordwelsh that sounds like the predicament in the English football team suffers from.#

True FES Saint-Andre is a poor coach, LaPorte has done a far more effective job with Toulon than Saint-Andre.

beshocked wrote:bedfordwelsh that sounds like the predicament in the English football team suffers from.#

True FES Saint-Andre is a poor coach, LaPorte has done a far more effective job with Toulon than Saint-Andre.

beshocked,

It's very much the same predicament, not sure if its changed now but a few years back when the French started throwing the money about none of the top 6 teams in their league had a French qualified No10 they were all imports.

It's undoubtedly true that the French league has a huge number of foreigners in it, but when you look at the number and quality of actual French players they could select I see little excuse for the coaches.

Szarzewski
Guirado
Kayser
Domingo
Barcella
Mas
Ducalcon
Forestier
Chiocci
Slimani
Maestri
Pape
Flanquart
Vahaamahina
Taofifenua
Dusautoir
Nyanga
Ouedraogo
Lapandry
Camara
Chouly
Picamoles
Galan
Parra
Machenaud
Tillous-Borde
Doussain
Dupuy
Trinh-Duc
Plisson
Lopez
Tales
Fofana
Fickou
Bastareaud
Mermoz
Lamerat
Malzieu
Fall
Thomas
Huget
Medard
Palis
Dulin
Buttin


If you can't make a world-class team from that group of players you have no place as an international coach.