Scrum of the Earth /

What I still want to achieve...

I don’t have too many things I want to achieve in rugby union. I’ve been very fortunate on many occasions - winning the junior and senior World Cups, Tri-Nations, coach of the year twice, team of year twice and the world team of the year at the Lareaus Sports Awards - so from a rugby point of view, I’ve been really lucky, It’s been really kind to me.

I don’t really get up in the morning and and think ‘geez what else is there to do.’ Saying that, rugby is such a special thing and such a special game to be involved in.

I’m sure there will be something that’ll come up and really entice me to get me back involved. When the final whistle went in the World Cup final, I felt a huge sense of relief, as being in a cauldron every single Saturday takes its toll on you.

How I would like to be remembered...

The most important thing for me is to be remembered as a rugby man. Any guy involved in rugby knows what that means - to encompass everything - and when people say, ‘you remember Jake White’, I hope they say ‘that guy was a rugby man.’

My greatest achievement...

The best day of life was when I became the Springbok coach. For an English-speaking non-Springbok to become coach of the national team is a hell of an achievement. Guys like Ken McKintosh and Keith Christie weren’t Springboks, and it was almost a bit of a closed shop then, so winning the World Cup was a real highlight for me.

My idea of perfect rugby happiness...

A couch, remote control, and rugby on every single channel.

To read part two click here