White, Everitt set for eventful reunion

It will be a full-circle moment when Jake White and Sean Everitt duel in the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final in Edinburgh on Saturday.

White’s Vodacom Bulls face off against Everitt’s Edinburgh in the Scottish capital, reuniting two South African coaching minds in a career path of mentorship, divergence and symmetry.

What started as a mentor-protégé relationship evolved into a friendship, then a rivalry and now an intercontinental showdown as the two clubs battle to progress on the road to Cardiff’s Challenge Cup final on Friday, 23 May.

Their intertwined past, from the Sharks to the Bulls and now this European showdown, adds a layer of intrigue to what is already a high-stakes playoff.

The story begins in 2013 at the Sharks where White arrived as director of rugby and head coach, fresh off a successful Super Rugby stint with the Brumbies in Canberra, following his 2007 World Cup triumph as head coach of the Springboks.

Everitt, then an assistant coach with deep roots in the Durban-based franchise, worked under White, whose time at Kings Park was brief, leading to his departure after just one season.

In 2015, White swapped South Africa for France, taking the helm at Montpellier where he quickly etched his name in the record books, guiding the club to the 2015-16 Challenge Cup title with a 26-19 win over Harlequins – underlining his credentials as a man who could transform underperforming teams into contenders and champions.

Everitt, meanwhile, stayed with the Sharks, climbing the ranks and by 2019 he was head coach, leading the team to consecutive Currie Cup finals in 2021.

His tenure ended in late 2022 after a heavy defeat, but opportunity knocked early the following year when his phone rang and White was on the other end of the line offering him a job.

The World Cup-winning coach had returned to South Africa in 2020, rebuilding the Pretoria-based outfit into a domestic force, and he recruited Everitt as consultant. The reunion was brief as Everitt was lured away in July 2023 to become the Edinburgh head coach.

Fast forward to 2025 and the Challenge Cup has set the stage for an intriguing twist.

Everitt’s Edinburgh earned their quarter-final spot with a gritty 24-12 win over the Lions in the round of 16, blending defensive steel with attacking flair. White’s Bulls followed suit, overpowering home team Bayonne 32-22 with their trademark physicality and strike power.

Now, the two coaching paths intersect again in poetic symmetry: White left Everitt at the Sharks to win the Challenge Cup with Montpellier, and Everitt left White at the Bulls and is closing in on the same trophy with Edinburgh – only to meet his former boss in the quarters.

White knows Everitt’s methodology from their Sharks days and the 2023 Bulls overlap, while Everitt has solid intel on White’s Bulls machine.

“I probably know him better than most other coaches know him,” White said in a media conference last season in the buildup to the round 5 Vodacom URC clash in Edinburgh.

“I know how he thinks, I know how he coaches … and I know he is clever enough not to go too far from what Edinburgh wants to do.

“Edinburgh play a certain style, Scotland play a certain style, and I’m sure he’ll bring one or two nuances to the team but not go too far from what has made them successful in the past.”

Everitt was indeed successful as Edinburgh clinched a 31-23 victory over the visiting Bulls. However, when the two coaches battled in the inaugural URC playoffs, it was White’s team that won through.

The Bulls finished the 2021-22 season in fourth place with 58 points while Everitt’s Sharks logged 57 points in fifth place. When elimination was on the line in the quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld, it was White who emerged victorious.

ALSO: Bulls adopt ‘smart’ approach to KO Edinburgh

Now, the stakes are higher.

White’s Bulls are making their maiden Challenge Cup quarter-final appearance. Their Investec Champions Cup campaign ended in three pool defeats, and the Edinburgh playoff represents an opportunity for redemption.

Edinburgh, sitting eighth in the URC with 36 points, have been more consistent in Europe, topping their Challenge Cup pool with three wins.

Edinburgh will bank on the speed of the Hive Stadium synthetic turf and fervent home support, while the Bulls are battle-hardened and riding high after victory in Bayonne.

It’s a tactical chess match with a personal edge – a shot at an Edinburgh legacy for Everitt, and a chance for White to reassert his coaching seniority.

Buckle up, this one is going to be an eventful reunion.

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Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images