EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jake White’s explosive fallout with Selborne College

EXCLUSIVE: Springbok World Cup-winning coach Jake White and Selborne College director of rugby Derek Page have stepped away from their roles at the East London school, Rugby365 has been informed.

The pair were roped in at the start of the season in an attempt to rebuild and strengthen the school’s rugby programme following several years of decline. White, the former Bulls coach, joined as a consultant working across both the junior and senior sides, while Page was tasked with overseeing the broader programme.

According to White and Page, they were assured of full backing and some degree of leeway from the school and headmaster, Andrew Dewar, when they came on board. However, what transpired closer to the start of the season was the opposite. White has since penned a letter [attached below] to the Selborne College Foundation Trust, outlining his frustrations and explaining his reasons for stepping aside.

In the letter, he accuses the headmaster of not being committed to change, poor communication, a lack of accountability, being too controlling, and prioritising hockey, among many other things. In simple words, White is accusing Dewar of interfering with rugby matters and deliberately slowing down progress. Rugby365 understands that Page also wrote a similar letter weeks back and is still awaiting a response.

As it stands, Selborne doesn’t have a Director of Rugby, and the duo have not been involved with the school’s structures for over a month.

“I can confirm that both Jake and I stepped back from our positions at the school,” Page told Rugby365 in an exclusive interview.

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“I’ve been working with Jake from when he started, and we were trying to bring about change, make the place better, and uplift the rugby programme, but the headmaster kept rolling speed bumps on the way.

“I can tell you that I’ve experienced exactly what Jake has experienced. There are clearly some internal issues there.”

Page, who is an Old Boy at the school, says his hands as director have been tied with little to no control over the programme. He backs up the claims made in White’s letter and says the headmaster has restricted them from appointing coaches, organising fixtures, and recruiting young talent.

“What’s the point of bringing in a director of rugby whose hands are tied behind his back?” he asked.

“When we came in, we wanted to bring in coaches and improve the players’ skill level, but we were told no. Under no circumstances. Instead, the headmaster chooses the coaches himself.

“We tried to increase the fixtures and give the junior teams more games, and we weren’t allowed to do that.

” One of the first things we also tried to implement was a bursary system to try and keep our young talent from Selborne Primary in the system, but the headmaster said there’s no space for them.”

While other top sides within the Eastern Cape and around the country continue to invest heavily in their programmes, Page says Selborne has instead taken a step back.

“They have missed the boat, they have missed the party,” he said, and added, “It’s like having a pot plant in your house, and then you stop giving it water and sunlight, it’s going to stop growing.

“That’s exactly how rugby has been at Selborne. There has been no moving with the times.”

The off-field controversies seem to be influencing performances on the field. Selborne’s first side has enjoyed a tough start to the season and suffered a hammer blow last weekend, going down 5-22 against Pearson High School in Gqeberha.

Before that loss, they were comfortably beaten by Rondebosch Boys’ High 17-57 at the Pretoria Boys High 125th festival, while they also succumbed to a 15-24 loss against Framesby last month. The side has also drawn with Stirling High School this season, a school they traditionally beat comfortably.

Page believes he has become the scapegoat for the team’s poor performances.

“It looks like they brought me in as someone to blame. If you listen to the commentary at all the games the team plays, the commentators always ask what Jake and I are doing about it; meanwhile, we’re not even involved.

“During my era, every kid leaving Selborne Primary wanted to come to Selborne College, but now, they’re opting for other schools.

“The reality is that the school has lost its attractiveness, and you need to ask yourself why it’s lost that attraction.”

Page further added that the headmaster does not employ him but is employed by the school’s foundation trust and cannot comment on behalf of the school.

Right of reply

Before publishing this piece, Rugby365 reached out to headmaster Andrew Dewar to offer a right of reply.

He responded with the following:

‘I can’t say much because there is a legal team looking into the defamatory information on that letter.

I can say though that my role is to service the whole school and support everything we do, not only focus on rugby.

Every boy is valued at Selborne College, and every sport needs to be treated equally.

Academics are important. Principals of schools want the institution to be a success and a centre of excellence.

People need to understand; we are not a rugby institute.

As the headmaster of the school, I cannot allow people to be making decisions that are not in the best interest of the school and the children.

I need to be the final decision maker to make sure that due diligence has been observed.

When asked whether White and Page could return to the school, the headmaster opted not to provide comment.’

Jake White’s letter (Selborne Rugby Message for the Selborne Foundation Trust):

Hi Andy

I have been involved actively on the ground with Selborne Rugby. From the preseason planning until now which is the 1st week of matches. In the last few months, I have seen and been privy to certain things that I think you should be aware of. I don’t want this to be an attack on anyone, but it is what it is.

In my initial introduction to Selborne Rugby I was sold a project. This was to get Selborne Rugby up to a level of excellence. I was under the impression that the Headmaster was totally on board. Totally!! I must mention that I had done my research. Alan Miles and Phiwe Nomhlomo had in previous years found it extremely difficult to get the Headmaster onside with rugby and its needs. They were often very frustrated. Phiwe had in fact warned me that unless the Headmaster was totally on board it would be mission impossible.

After some reflection I think it would be better for me to step away from the Selborne project. I have felt that the Headmaster is not totally committed to the changes needed or expected. Through my experience as a teacher, it’s a futile project unless the Headmaster backs it 100%.

Let me give you a few examples.

The coaches need to be signed off by the Headmaster. Headmaster alone. Headmasters are not experts in that field.

The training days and times need to be signed off by the Headmaster. How much time, how many sessions. Headmaster alone. How and why?

Any communication on the rugby program needs to be signed off by the Headmaster. In fact, by him and his wife, (who is head of marketing). Nothing can be posted or sent out without their permission. I waited 2 months to get a letter out to the parents for a U14 camp. Headmaster and his wife played table tennis with their response to me asking why. One waiting on the other and visa versa.

We started Rugby season and the Hockey club decided to have hockey trials on our rugby training day. Why? Because they wanted to highjack the practice. Get all the Grade 8 boys to hockey practice away from Rugby. Imagine if rugby pushed in a training session and impeded on hockey?

As an aside. Those hockey sessions were not on the D6, which incidental was signed off by the Headmaster. I have seen the reaction of the Headmaster when the Rugby boys started preseason training sessions an hour earlier than agreed. Cricket masters complained. E mails, meetings, etc. Yet if hockey start earlier, then nothing gets said. Likewise, if another sport impedes rugby, then it is okay, but not the other way around.

The Headmaster has continually asked for communication. Let’s communicate Jake. Chats with him are always far off the pressing issues. He is a master at avoiding the crucial issues.

I have sent him an email with some serious issues. Dated 4th March – As of the 10th March no reply. The email is attached.

I have also sent him various SMS messages and voicemails. Not once has he even acknowledged receiving any of them, never mind replied.

One of the needs in the Selborne Rugby calendar is to arrange fixtures for as many teams as possible. It’s hugely unfair to expect parents to buy rugby kit for boys if they play a few matches a season. Also, boys grow and change from Grade 8 to Grade 12 so keeping boys involved is vital as the late developer doesn’t get lost.

I arranged through my contacts with Queens College Headmaster a fixture for the lower teams in each age group on Border Rugby Day. I then hear from Jaco that the Headmaster has said to him that no rugby fixtures will be allowed as it’s the Colour Run. A fund raiser for the Rowing Club takes preference over a rugby fixture in Rugby Season. It’s important to understand that rugby fixtures can only be finalised once all schools start the winter season, because everyone needs to see how many players are available per age group. It is therefore impossible to log it on the D6. (School Calendar). So, the excuse it wasn’t on the calendar holds no water.

I then went and met with the Headmaster in his office to discuss. Is it not strange that I Jake had to go and convince the Headmaster. I’m not a teacher or an old boy. He after listening to my request replied “Let me think about it “. I’m still waiting for a response. In the meantime, Queens are waiting on a response from me.

It seems that the Headmaster has not let go. He still wants to be in charge of everything. I feel like I am wasting my time. It would be better at this stage for me to step back until the decision makers are all aligned. I feel that the people who want change, the people pushing for excellence in the rugby program at Selborne are the people on the outside. Old boys, Foundation members Internally nothing will change until the Headmaster has signed off and let go. The leadership of the school are not Rugby men. In fact, not one of the school top 5 are involved with the rugby club.

At our 1st Rugby practice boys never arrived after putting their names down to play. Absolutely no accountability. Rowers never came to school on the Monday after SA Champs so therefore were absent from rugby training. There is no rugby ethos. That is because it’s not pushed by the staff. I don’t work for Selborne, I don’t need the Headmaster to help me with my teaching career. (Alan and Phiwe). I therefore am not indebted to him. They were forced to accept the actions and decisions of the Headmaster.

You would be aware that associating my name with a rugby program can be beneficial or detrimental to my own career. I feel that I cannot deliver on the expectations with all the continuous obstacles I face along the way. I therefore say it again. I will no longer be involved with Selborne Rugby. Thanks so much for your support. I wish you all the best.

Cheers Jake

Things that need to be in place in order for me to continue:

Headmaster (HM) needs to let go of trying to control everything.

The Director of Rugby (DOR) should be allowed to run the rugby with the Headmaster providing support and assistance for overcoming hurdles.

Amongst others, these are some examples of what is required:

-The HM to assist the DOR in finding ways to comply with any legal barriers to get rugby initiatives going rather than just throwing the book at him.

-HM should be assisting the DOR and SFT with getting young talented sportsman enrolled rather than finding every reason to stop the process.

-The HM should allow the DOR to appoint the coaches.

-The HM should allow the DOR to decide on practice sessions, fields, etc and where there are issues, then try assist with resolving them rather than just stopping them.

-The HM should provide for timeous and streamlined posting of social media news coming from rugby.

-The HM should allow some discretion for the DOR to get social media posts done without everything being signed off. Obviously, someone else from the school can be tasked with vetting the post but this must be fast and efficient.

-DOR should be allowed to communicate with parents and kids.

-DOR should decide on fixtures and tours.

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