- Jake White has put to rest any doubts over his perceived suspicion of fetchers after his (in)famous quote about them during his time as Springbok coach.
- The Bulls' director of rugby says it was made tongue-in-cheek to counter sections of the media who clamoured for Luke Watson's inclusion.
- White notes he definitely values the skills of an opensider like Marco van Staden, but also argues that fetching is a skill for every player to hone.
Jake White, the Bulls' director of rugby, has put to rest any lingering doubts over whether he's still suspicious about selecting out-and-out fetchers.
Almost 15 years ago, the World Cup-winning former Springbok coach made the controversial remark that "the only fetcher I need are my two sons, when they fetch me a beer from the fridge on a Sunday".
Context, however, is important.
White was in the middle of his most challenging year as national coach, with his team struggling for positive results and missing the bustling presence of Schalk Burger at the breakdowns.
Former Stormers skipper Luke Watson had been in the form of his life, prompting various observers to put pressure on White to pick him.
"Let me put it this way, I believe what happened there is that a few media men felt there was only one fetcher in the country and they wanted me to pick him," said White.
"My boys are still my fetchers. They're still brining me beers from the kitchen."
The irony of his Bulls' immense presence at the breakdowns in Super Rugby Unlocked is that it's created the perception that White has changed his stance, particularly given the rampant form of opensider Marco van Staden.
Yet while White has admitted that Van Staden has been one of his most important players, the concept of a fetcher remains a misnomer.
"The fact of the matter is, the role of a player targeting the breakdown is hugely important. But it's not just one person's role," he said.
"Duane (Vermeulen), Marco, Trevor (Nyakane), even Travis (Ismaiel) does it for us. That skill is for everyone.
"Is it an important aspect of the game? 100%. Is it important from a defensive perspective, to stifle and even turn over possession? Absolutely. Fetcher is not one player. It's a skill you can learn any player. The more who can do it, the better for your team."
Importantly, White will never ignore a player who's particularly good at playing towards the ball.
"If a player is naturally good at this skill, like (Argentina captain) Pablo Matera or Marco, you encourage it.
"That comment all those years back really was tongue-in-cheek. I just had to remind a few media men that there wasn't just one man born to play the fetcher role, because it felt like I was being forced to."