Rugby rift rocks Selborne College as White allegedly steps back

Selborne College has launched an investigation into a letter purportedly written by its rugby adviser and former Springbok coach Jake White, which lists several reasons for him stepping back from his position. The letter, allegedly sent by White to the Selborne Foundation Trust in a WhatsApp message, said the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach had decided to “step back” fromthe role he was appointed to in 2025“until the decision-makers are all aligned”. White expressed his discontent with the school’s management of rugby-related matters.

He reportedly accused Dewar of lack of support in rugby activities compared to other sporting codes and meddling in the appointment of coaches and allocation of training sessions. How much time, how many sessions? Headmaster alone.

How and why? He said those decisions were for the school’s director of rugby, not the headmaster. “Through my experience as a teacher, it’s a futile project unless the headmaster backs it 100%.” He said the headmaster had control of too many areas.

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Headmasters are not experts in that field,” White allegedly said. “Any communication on the rugby programme needs to be signed off by the headmaster …”

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