Former South African Under-21 captain Clyde Rathbone and fellow Wallaby Dan Vickerman may have been the trailblazers, but Rathbone's former mentor, Jake White, hopes to lure many more youngsters from his homeland to Australia.

White admitted that he sees SA as a great source of talent that he can draw from for the Brumbies.

Two of the Australian Capital Territories' leading organisations - the University of Canberra and the Brumbies - joined forces for the 2012 Super Rugby season.

And White, who guided South Africa to the 2007 World Cup, is determined to convert the relationship into a long-term gain for his playing roster.

White, who coached the SA U21 team, captained by Rathbone, that won the 2002 age-group world championship, feels he still holds a lot of influence on where South Africa's rising stars choose to play.

"I would love to attract some boys to come and play in Australia," White told the Canberra Times.

"Every day I get calls from dads [in South Africa] asking where I suggest their kid can play.

"It shouldn't be underestimated a lot of South Africans will see this link and see it as an opportunity [to come and try to play for the Brumbies].

"Our challenge is to make sure we at the Brumbies do our homework ... it can't just be a sponsorship arrangement, it has to be a genuine boost and partnership."

The Brumbies are allowed three foreign players on their roster - one marquee signing and two developing internationals.

White said he would not try to influence young players to choose between committing to the Wallabies or Springboks, but he was confident South African junior stars could be enticed to join the Brumbies and the university.

"Nothing would hurt me more than to tell a South African dad to bring his kid here and he doesn't leave Canberra a better player," White said.

"I don't want these boys to come here and to be a Brumbies fan, I want him to come here with an opportunity to play for the Brumbies.

"There's no reason why it can't happen, I get excited because we're sitting on something great, but we can't just offer an opportunity to study.

"It's going to promote rugby in Canberra and increase the standard of rugby we have here.

"It won't happen in year one, but it will be sustainable for South African and New Zealand boys to come here and study."