Unfinished business spurs Nic White as he waits out isolation

For Nic White there is still a sense that even in his 31 Tests for Australia he has never really shown quite what he is capable of.

Test halfback Nic White has returned to Australia and hopes to win a Test spot

Nic White’s rugby career has worked out, frankly, far better than he ever thought it would when he was leaving for England five years ago but there is still a sense that even in his 31 Tests for Australia he has never really shown quite what he is capable of.

There aren’t that many quiet moments for him to reflect on his rugby journey, not with his newborn child, Sonny, sharing his 14-day isolation period with him in Sydney — along with his wife Mel and eldest son, Leo — but when he does, he cannot quite suppress the feeling he has unfinished business to attend to.

For the moment, however, that can wait. All he craves at the moment is a taste of normality. To say the least, this has been a most abnormal year in Britain and doubly so for the Whites who, as a result of his contract with the Exeter Chiefs, found themselves expecting a child in a foreign country at the height of a global pandemic. Suddenly, entering hospital for the birth entailed voluntarily going into a hotspot.

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“Certainly a home birth was an option but they (the hospital in Exeter) were able to reassure us that everything was going to be fine,” White told The Australian.

True, he spent most of his wife’s labour pacing the hospital carpark but once Sonny decided to really make his presence felt, he was rushed to her bedside.

“It was a little bit of a different experience, with everyone being in masks and what have you, but they made us feel really safe.”

Australia must have felt a long way removed and especially when it seemed that return might have to be delayed up to four months. But then the Australian High Commission came to their rescue and processed an emergency passport for the baby and after that, their only real concern was one any parent dreads — a long-haul flight with a newborn and a terrible twos.

“Actually, the flight was pretty empty so we were able to spread out and they handled it well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting through this quarantine and getting back to a bit of normality because we have certainly been envious from up north looking down and seeing the freedoms you have here.”

He kept himself as fit as the circumstances would allow, taking advantage of his one hour of freedom a day to get in as much running as possible. And, of course, the weights got a huge workout as well.

Even with Brumbies coach Dan McKellar advising him to take time out with his family, he still could arrive back in Canberra with half a season of Super Rugby AU still to be played.

He insists he will play whatever role the club assigns him but the fact is that he is 30 now and the only surviving World Cup halfback still vying for Wallabies selection.

“I think the standard of halfbacks in Australia is in good hands,” he said. “Jake Gordon (NSW) has been playing well for years, Tate McDermott (Reds) is starting to come on, and Joe Powell (a fellow Brumby) was exceptional on the weekend. So we have some good nines here and I’m just looking forward to throwing my hat in the ring as well.”

White left for England branded as “a kicking halfback” and the widespread expectation is that his stint with the Chiefs would have only intensified his expertise with the boot. In fact, Exeter have the highest possession and ball-in-play stats of any side in the Premiership, so it may be he has returned more of a ball-running threat than when he left.

“A lot of guys leave at the age of 25. I thought the door had closed on me so the opportunity to come back is certainly not lost on me. But both with Super Rugby and the Wallabies I don’t believe that I showed the best of myself and whilst I have had 31 Tests and that’s a lot and I’m proud of that … I still feel like I still haven’t shown the best of what Nic White can do and if I can get an opportunity I’d like to show what I can do.”

That is precisely what Dave Rennie, the new Wallabies coach, is hoping.

Seemingly White’s wandering days are now over, though he has learned never to close out options.

“I guess you cross those bridges when you come to them but after being away for five years I’m very keen to plant some roots here and give the best of me for the next few years and kind of empty the tank. Australian rugby gave me a lot and it’s time to give back everything I’ve got.”