No point laying into White
LIKE all rugby fans, I too was shocked but disappointed that Jake White announced his departure from the Brumbies just three weeks out from the start of the Super Rugby campaign,
But unlike some, and perhaps most of the fans out of there, my disappointment did not turn into resentment or anger, but rather gratitude — for Australian rugby (and in particularly Brumbies rugby) is in much better shape having had Jake White at the helm.
So why exactly did I write this article? Because I’m perplexed at how ungrateful and vile the comments towards White have been from Australian and Brumbies fans since his departure.
Rugby union has always been a gentleman’s game, and the treatment of White by some of the fans on various websites and social media is quite unbecoming of the chivalry that ought to be synonymous with this beautiful game.
Heck, I’ll even go as far as to say that we’re acting like a bunch of whinging league fans, which may well be the ultimate insult for some of us here.
The circumstances regarding his departure are unfortunate. Yes, White has done a runner and left before fulfilling his contract.
But instead of laying the boot in him for not honouring the last two years of his contract, why not celebrate what he has done to rejuvenate the club?
This was a club that was looking at a decade of oblivion post the golden-era. Instead, Jake took them out of the wilderness and into the Super Rugby final, and in the process created a team of stars.
The most telling comment came from head coach and current assistant of the Brumbies, Laurie Fisher. On Twitter, he urged the mass to calm down and keep the faith.
Renney is a columnist with Roar, an Australian sports opinion website.