Jake White says the Wallabies are careening towards a cliff and Australian rugby urgently needs to change course before they host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The Wallabies suffered a humbling defeat to the Springboks in Brisbane in the opening round of the Rugby Championship, which was Joe Schmidt’s first loss since taking charge of the team in December.

Schmidt took over from Eddie Jones after a disastrous 2023 was capped by a historic first-ever World Cup pool exit for the Wallabies, a campaign that saw the team suffer defeats to Wales and Fiji.

In a column for RugbyPass, White bemoaned the current state of Australian rugby, which has steadily declined over the past few years.

White recalled witnessing the rise of the Wallabies during his time as Brumbies head coach and even being touted to coach Australia during the British & Irish Lions in 2013. After being rejected, White said he was told by former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans that he “dodged a bullet”.

“In the background, there is an almost visceral fear about a humiliation against the Lions next year. I feel for Joe Schmidt because the problems run so much deeper than the players on the field,” White said.

“I heard someone say, ‘you only need 23 good players’ but honestly, you need far more depth given how physical the game now is. If things follow on the same trajectory, it could be cataclysmic by the time they host the World Cup. It is the biggest hole Australian rugby has ever been in and things need to change quickly.”

White said that Australia is sowing the seeds of disinvestment from rugby union, with many of the systems that produced the likes of David Pocock, Will Genia and Quade Cooper no longer functioning.

“They don’t need a superstar like Antoine Dupont, they need to revert to what used to work. There are still smart people who love rugby there,” White said.

“Their point of difference was always their cerebral approach to the game. They put funding and expertise behind the athletes. They learnt from other sporting codes. I remember them talking about how you get the edge on the opposition in changing your sleeping patterns, how to travel better, all these one percenters.”

Full column

Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images

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Src: sarugbymag.co.za