Speaking to the media in Cape Town the Bok mentor revealed that he and the coaches have had some fruitful meetings, in which he expressed his "wishes", but it remains up to the individual coaches how they handle each player.

White was at pains to stress the incomparable intensity of the 2007 season, which sees the Springboks go straight into the mid-year home Tests against England and Samoa after the world's toughest provincial competition, Super 14.

The June tests are followed by the Tri-Nations, with just a four week break before the World Cup gets underway in France.

But even with this schedule facing the country's top players the Bok coach will not be prescriptive.

"There is no such thing as me saying you must rest this guy," White told a media gathering.

"But if a player plays all through this schedule, he is not going to have anything left to offer during the World Cup. That is why we rested players at the end of last year, because we knew that next season was a given - we were always going to have to play these matches.

"The Super 14 coaches will work out their own systems of rest. There is an understanding that we need to work together in order to do what it takes to win the World Cup.

"At the end of the day, the coaches themselves need to be honest and fair in how they handle the players. The players and the coaches are aware of the schedules, and the coaches need to realise that if they are going to be fair on the players so that they can go and be at their best come World Cup time."

SA Rugby's manager of national teams, Andy Marinos, said that it was going to be a "consultative process".

"We have outlined the concepts for the coaches , and month by month we will handle the players together," Marinos said at the same media gathering.

This is in contrast to New Zealand's approach of ruling out their top 22 players for selection in the first seven rounds of the Super 14.

The handling of players, and the relationships between the Super 14 coaches and Jake White in their dealings together in a World Cup year all take place within the context of the new committee which has been commissioned by the Presidents Council to assist White and the national team in their bid to win the World Cup.

Marinos revealed the nature and purpose of this committee, assuring that it was not a "technical committee" such as was in existence under the auspices of Andre Markgraaff three years ago.

"On recommendation from the Presidents Council, a group from the Council have been tasked with providing assistance to Jake as we build together in World Cup year. They are an outside body to provide assistance; they are not a technical committee.

"Obviously the Presidents Council appoint the coach, and it is therefore critical for them and South Africa that we are well-represented in the World Cup.

"They have a right to take a custodian role in terms of the preparations of the national team so that they can assist as and when Jake needs it, and, from a national team point of view, whenever anything extraordinary occurs."

Marinos also announced the make-up of this committee, which will have as its chairman Mike Stofile, the deputy president of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), with fellow Presidents Council members Jannie Ferreira (Lions), James Stoffberg (Leopards) and Harold Verster (Cheetahs) combining to form the remainder of the committee.

He pointed out that the committee would work with the Super 14 coaches in a bid to provide assistance and to pool all their expertise as they all work together for the cause of South African rugby and particularly the Springboks at the World Cup.

It is in this context that White will rely on the Super 14 coaches to make sure that the interests of the Springboks are protected and that players are not overplayed.

"The committee were quite amazed by the feedback that was given by myself and the coaches," said White in regards to the collaboration between himself and the Super 14 coaches.

White also suggested that he may himself have to rest players during the opening Tests as well as the Tri-Nations.

"If the Bulls play the Sharks in the final of the Super 14, I can't expect all those players to play a week later against England in a Test match.

"We also have to correctly handle those players who need to recover from injury. It's not all about unions and franchises, but also about the individual.

"There are advantages to this schedule, however. Being able to play England and Samoa at home before we face them in our World Cup pool is great preparation. Having rested players last year will also stand us in good stead.

"We will also have to take into account the importance of doing well against those sides when we select our teams - there are lots of variables when it comes to how we prepare and select ahead of the World Cup."

By Chris Waldburger