Jake White Emerges as Favourite for Fiji Head Coach Job

Jake White could be heading back to Test rugby. The former Springboks boss, who guided South Africa to 2007 World Cup glory in France, has emerged as the favourite to become Fiji's next head coach ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Fiji have received 31 applications for the vacancy, with former Wales coach Warren Gatland also in the mix, but reports in South Africa say White is on the shortlist and regarded as the frontrunner. The contract runs from October 2026 through the end of 2027, and an appointment is expected in the coming days.

It would be White's first head-coaching role in international rugby since 2007, after leaving the Bulls last year and working as a consultant at Selborne College. "I still think I have unfinished business at the Test level," he said earlier this year. Fiji, ranked 10th after losing the Pacific Nations Cup final to Japan, would be quite the project.