The story begins in 2013 on the Sharks the place White arrived as Director of Rugby and head voach, contemporary off a profitable Tremendous Rugby stint with the Brumbies in Canberra, Australia, following his 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph as head coach of the Springboks.
Everitt, then an assistant coach with deep roots within the Durban franchise, labored below White, whose time at Kings Park was temporary, resulting in his departure after only one season.
In 2015, White swapped South Africa for France, taking the helm at Montpellier the place he shortly etched his title within the document books, guiding the membership to the 2015/16 EPCR Problem Cup title with a 26-19 win over Harlequins — underlining his credentials as a person who may rework underperforming groups into contenders and champions.
Everitt, in the meantime, stayed with the Sharks, climbing the ranks and by 2019 he was head coach, main the staff to consecutive Currie Cup finals in 2021. His tenure led to late 2022 after a heavy defeat, however alternative knocked early the next 12 months when his telephone rang and White was on the opposite finish of the road providing him a job.
The World Cup-winning Coach had returned to South Africa in 2020, rebuilding the Pretoria outfit right into a home drive, and he recruited Everitt as guide. The reunion was temporary as Everitt was lured away in July 2023 to grow to be the Edinburgh coach.
Quick ahead to 2025 and the Problem Cup has set the stage for an intriguing twist.
Jake White and Sean Everitt able to go head-to-head
Everitt’s Edinburgh earned their quarter-final spot with a gritty 24-12 win over the Emirates Lions within the Spherical of 16, mixing defensive metal with attacking aptitude. White’s Bulls adopted swimsuit, overpowering residence staff Bayonne 32-22 with their trademark physicality and strike energy.
Now, the 2 teaching paths intersect once more in poetic symmetry: White left Everitt on the Sharks to win the Problem Cup with Montpellier, and Everitt left White on the Bulls and is closing in on the identical trophy with Edinburgh — solely to satisfy his former boss within the quarters.
White is aware of Everitt’s methodology from their Sharks days and the 2023 Bulls overlap, whereas Everitt has stable intel on White’s Bulls machine.
“I most likely know him higher than most different coaches know him,” White stated in a media convention final season within the buildup to the Spherical 5 United Rugby Championship conflict in Edinburgh.
“I understand how he thinks, I understand how he coaches… and I do know he’s intelligent sufficient to not go too removed from what Edinburgh needs to do.
“Edinburgh performs a sure model, Scotland performs a sure model, and I’m certain he’ll deliver one or two nuances to the staff however not go too removed from what has made them profitable prior to now.”
Everitt was certainly profitable as Edinburgh clinched a 31-23 victory over the visiting Bulls. Nonetheless, when the 2 coaches battled within the inaugural URC playoffs, it was White’s staff that received by way of.
The Bulls completed the 2021/22 season in fourth place with 58 factors whereas Everitt’s Sharks logged 57 factors in fifth place. When elimination was on the road within the quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld, it was White who emerged victorious.
Now, the stakes are larger.
White’s Bulls are making their maiden Problem Cup quarter-final look. Their Champions Cup marketing campaign led to three pool defeats, and the Edinburgh playoff represents a possibility for redemption.
Edinburgh, sitting eighth within the URC with 36 factors, have been extra constant in Europe, topping their Problem Cup pool with three wins.
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