Nathan White

2006 - 2011

Rugby's capacity for opportunity continues to thrive, and Nathan White's journey is an example of what is available for those prepared to take on challenges.

Coming into the Waikato rugby scene from his Te Awamutu base, White advanced through the age groups and into the NPC and Chiefs. His career coincided with Ian Foster's move into coaching.

As a prop, he also benefited from Warren Gatland joining the Chiefs' coaching group.

"Gatty had just come back from Wasps, where they'd been successful in Europe, and for a lot of us tight forwards, he put a lot of size on us for a couple of years. Some guys were not allowed to play too much club rugby, but they were doing eight to 10 gym sessions a week to get bigger and stronger, and that did a lot for us. Back then, we didn't have time limits on our unit sessions. We were scrumming and mauling, and doing all that sort of stuff, which we had never really done before. My body weight jumped up pretty quickly. In the 2005 NPC, I played a few games and might have been running around at 109 kg, and then, all of a sudden, I was up to 118. It made a big difference, and we received the rewards, as well as some confidence.

"It took a while to get used to running around with the extra weight, but it helped the scrummaging and mauling side of things. Gatty and Fozzie made the game plan pretty simple for us – clean a lot of rucks, make our tackles and don't think too much."

It was a time when there was a strong local representation in the side.

"There were Waikato boys like Marty Holah, Jono Gibbes, Keith Robinson and David Hill and a few of us younger guys like Stephen Donald, Toby Lynn, Brendan Leonard and those sorts."

White was beset by injuries during the 2009 season that saw the Chiefs make the Super Rugby final for the first time.

"There was a funny story about that. My back injury occurred right near the end, and then I rolled my ankle during training. However, I played a club game for Te Awamutu, and Ben May got injured in the semi-final in Hamilton. I was called in as the fourth prop to travel to Pretoria for the final.

"It was a pretty phenomenal Bulls team back then and they had won a few championships. When you play at Loftus Versfeld that crowd is next level. We were in the game for 20-30 minutes and had scored the first try, but that was it."

White's stint with the Chiefs ended in 2011 when he took up a position at Leinster, having relocated his family to embark on a rugby-inspired adventure.

"It was like becoming a squad member. We had basically two teams. There were 16 or 17 with Ireland and then us other guys.

"In Europe, you play 30-40 games a year [he played 24 times for Leinster], so you're always going to get a chance to play at some stage. You've got to make the most of it by becoming a good team and squad, man, while doing your best to get through to the May-June periods where the finals are.

"We only lost one or two games in the Pro12 and went through to the final, but ended up losing that. However, we won the European championship that year. We played the European final against Ulster at Twickenham, the week before the Pro12 final. I played in both finals.

"The week before the European final was the big one for us. We played Clemont over in Bordeaux and just managed to scrape through that. It was a tough day out, but it was great.

"Playing European rugby where they're selling out those big stadiums each week is a pretty good experience."

After such a memorable season, he switched to Connacht and was part of its greatest era.

"Leinster was always going to be a one-year thing, and I was lucky enough to sign for three years with Connaught and then stay on for longer.

"Pat Lam did a great job coming in there and really turned that club around. A lot of hard work had gone into it before him, but he put the finishing touches on it by creating visions of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do.

"We had a settled squad for the time that Pat was there."

"Beating Leinster at Murrayfield was phenomenal for a small place like Munster, and when you think the Irish Rugby Union had wanted to wind it up 10-15 years earlier. However, there are a few staunch individuals who fought hard to preserve it, and they have reaped the benefits, especially when considering the stadium being built there now.

"It's getting better and better. Quality players and a lot of guys from other provinces in Ireland now go there to get game time."

Being involved in successful sides also opened up Test rugby for White, even if it was 33 before he made his Test debut for Ireland.

It was an enjoyable experience, and one that had an element of luck to it, as after suffering from back issues, he underwent an operation just before the end of the season and was on the verge of retirement. But he decided to give it one more try, and it proved to be a good call.

He was selected for the 2015 Ireland Rugby World Cup team, which provided some special memories. However, in beating France in their last pool game, they suffered some vital injuries, with captain and lock Paul O'Connell and Tommy Bowe, as well as other senior players, missing out on playing in their quarterfinal, which they lost to Argentina.

It was a sad end for O'Connell and Bowe as they played little rugby after that tournament.

"You could sense a little bit of panic around not having a plan if we lost Paul. A few players were called over from Ireland and came straight in to play against Argentina.

"It would have been nice to beat Argentina, but we didn't every get close in the end."

White also had to decide on his future after concussion issues, and he wound up his career after 13 Tests and 58 games for Connacht. Fortunately, the issues settled down, and he got back into good routines; the only signs of a rugby career were the stiff neck and tight upper back that all front-rowers endure.

However, there was time for more involvement when a phone call came from Jono Gibbes after White, who was working on a dairy farm, had been coaching some Chiefs' underage sides.

"Jono came back from Ulster and said he was thinking about taking the Waikato job and would I be interested in helping him out?

"I said I would give it a crack and we had pretty good years in 2018 and 2019."

Then, another phone call, this time from Mike Cron, who asked if he would be interested in going to Japan, as his nephew, Simon Cron, had taken a job at Toyota Verblitz. It was to be a 12-week job, but it worked out well enough for him to stay involved for five years.

He endured the COVID days with them, but as a young coach, he appreciated the opportunity it provided, not least also getting to work with Steve Hansen, who was the club's director of rugby. Then, he was able to learn from Ben Herring and, most recently, Ian Foster, completing the full circle in his career.

"I've been pretty lucky to work with some great coaches in the five years up there."

Heading back to New Zealand, he landed a role with Southland as co-coach with James Wilson. He had worked in Japan with Matt Saunders, who was Southland's coach but who moved back into the supermarket business.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't turn down. It was good to go straight into something after leaving Japan. I was home for three weeks and then down to Invercargill.

"We had a few good games at the start and snuck the Ranfurly Shield, which was great for a young squad down there. They are a good group of boys, and they worked hard for that one, earning the reward they deserved.

"But then we got a few injuries to key guys and when that happens it's quite tough. It was good for me to get back into New Zealand rugby and see how it works after being away for five years."

White is back in the Waikato now and is unsure of what the future holds, but he would like to return to coaching, especially something a little closer to home.

"I've got the veggie garden and a big section with plenty of trees that need trimming up and cutting down, so I've got a bit of work here. It feels good to be home. We've been away 14 years and it feels like the right time to settle down with where the kids are at and we'll see what happens."