Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby explained his decision to replace Keagan Johannes at flyhalf with Springbok Johan Goosen at a Vodacom Bulls team announcement conference in Pretoria on Friday.
White made one change to the Vodacom Bulls starting XV that beat Edinburgh last week, replacing in-form Keagan Johannes with 13-test Johan Goosen, who returns after lasting only 11 minutes against Cardiff in early May.
White said Goosen is game-ready and added: "If anyone says, ‘listen, he’s not game-ready’, that’s usually how he plays his career. In and out, in and out. I’m sure you guys watched a bit of training, it’s like he hasn’t been away."
"He’s our No. 10 and our goal-kicker, and we have Keagan who has played really well for us on the bench, so it’s a good position to be in."
On what he expects from the Sharks at Loftus, White said: “There’s a reason they have beaten us twice this season, they’ve got a good team. I think that 12 of their starting XV are Springboks, and off the top of my head, if you go through that pack, only two flankers aren’t Springboks, and the rest are, and not only Springboks but World Cup winners.
“I’ve said this before, this is probably one of the best Sharks teams that’s ever been on paper, it reminds me of Pieter Muller, Henry Honiball, Jeremy Thomson, Cabous van der Westhuizen, Andre Joubert. So it’s not too bad, you know.”
White said his challenge extends beyond team selection as the Bok squad announcement for the June-July internationals will create additional pressure.
“It’s interesting because yesterday they announced the 54-man Springbok squad, and you don’t have to be too clever to work out, it’s like trials tomorrow, and one of the messages I’ve given the players is, "please, I don’t want you to play like it’s trials, I want you to play like it’s a team."
"Often what happens in these situations, whenever you announce a Springbok team before a big game, there are 54 guys who want to become Springboks. They want to be in the first round, they know they’ve got to compete against the guys they’re playing against tomorrow."
“It doesn’t matter what I say, they know that this is an opportunity in front of selectors, and the public, for them to stake a claim."
“I said to them in the change room today: they’ve been picked on what they did the last 18 weeks, it’s got nothing to do with what they have to do tomorrow, that’s my message, I just want them to continue doing that.”