FIJI Water Flying Fijians head coach Jake White is looking to reunite with former Springboks assistant coach Gert Smal to strengthen Fiji’s set-piece and provide a dominant platform for the team to unleash its trademark attacking flair.
White revealed during his first press conference as Fiji head coach earlier this week that he was bringing in a specialist line-out coach as part of his plans to improve the team’s organisation and tactical execution ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
“I’ve got a set-piece coach that’s coming in. In fact, Gert Smal, who coached me in the Springboks, he’s going to come in as the line-out coach, and he’s going to be working with Twith to get our line-outs up to speed,” White said.
Smal was part of White’s Springboks coaching staff from 2004 to 2007, helping South Africa win the Rugby World Cup.
He also coached Ireland between 2008 and 2013 under Declan Kidney and later worked with White at the Bulls.
White said improving Fiji’s scrum and line-out would be crucial to the team’s success.
“We can’t just play sevens against everybody. We need to be a little bit more smart,” he said.
A stronger set-piece could give Fiji the possession and structure needed to turn its natural attacking brilliance into a more consistent weapon against the world’s best.
Meanwhile, Coach White has flown to Japan with the Flying Fijians on Friday night to prepare for their Test against the hosts in Tokyo.
