Jake White, who coached South Africa's Springboks to victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup wants his old job back, following the poor showing of the team in this year's Tri-Nations tournament.
However, he told the Times newspaper in Johannesburg on Monday that he only wanted the job as an interim measure to help get Springbok rugby back on track before handing over to his former assistant, Allister Coetzee, after the next Rugby World Cup in 2011.
The competition is held every four years.
Arguing that he should be given the chance to be a caretaker coach for the until the next World Cup in New Zealand, White said 12 months is enough time for him to turn the team around and prepare them for a second consecutive World Cup title.
Calls for incumbent South African coach Peter de Villiers to dismiss increased following the defeat to Australia in Bloemfontein.
White told Sport 24 in South Africa that blunders that have been made along the way led to a record which reads lost seven and won six in the last year. De Villiers should make way for someone new, even at this late stage in the build-up to the next World Cup.
White believes his former assistant, Coetzee, is the future for the Springboks long-term. But he says it would be unfair to bring him into the system as Springbok head coach as replacement for De Villiers just 12 months before the World Cup. Coetzee is the current coach for Western Province team in South Africa's Currie Cup competition and the Cape Town based Stormers in the international Super 14 contest.
"Allister was the man who should have been appointed to replace me after the last World Cup. I said so at the time, and I remain convinced about that," said White on Monday.
"But I think it might be a bit unfair on Allister, or anyone else for that matter, to be brought in on a 12-month contract and expected to fix it in that space of time with no guarantee that they will stay on beyond the World Cup. When you take over the national job, you do need a bit of time to grow into it."
White said that for a World Cup a coach was needed who has been a head coach at international level for a while.