The Brumbies are still reeling after White asked to be released from the last two years of his contract.

Missing out on the Wallabies coaching job and wanting to be closer to his sons in South Africa are the main reasons he walked out on the club just two months after leading the Brumbies to the Super Rugby grand final.

Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan has confirmed Larkham and Fisher – White's assistant coaches – are the likely candidates to take over.

Larkham has only been an assistant coach since 2011 while Fisher was the Brumbies' head coach from 2005-2008.

"It's just a matter of getting on and doing the job now, we've got a good base program under us. We've just got to get to the next level," Larkham said.

"I guess there's the time when you're not sure if you're ready or not. No time is better than now. As soon as you get in you learn from your mistakes sooner, you understand how it works and in the long run you become a better coach."

Fisher is widely regarded as the best technical forwards coach in Australia.

"As it stands we [Larkham and Fisher] work extremely well together and we've got similar ideas on where the Brumbies need to go," Fisher said.

"Whichever way they [the Brumbies] decide to go, I think I'm more than capable of doing the job as I think Stevie is.

"If the board and the CEO decide they'd rather keep that continuity, whichever way it goes I'm sure we'd both be happy with it."

Former Brumbies players have questioned White's decision to leave early after getting the current squad to buy into his program.

White used an intense training program and required players to be at the club's Griffith headquarters from 7am to 6pm every day for training.

He also enforced a rule that all Brumbies live in Canberra and play in the capital's first-grade rugby competition in the off-season instead of returning to Sydney or Brisbane.

"Feel for the @BrumbiesRugby boys that re-signed believing jake would see out his contract. If only he showed the same loyalty," former Brumbies lock Ben Hand tweeted.

The bulk of the Brumbies playing roster committed to long-term deals, believing White would see out his tenure.

Brumbies captain Ben Mowen said the players would support Fisher or Larkham as the new coach.

"Both of those guys are great. The dynamic would stay the same and I know the Brumbies are thinking the same," Mowen said.

"It's a really selfless atmosphere at the Brumbies and that will continue."

White contacted Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan on Friday to tell him he wanted to quit the club.

Fagan said: "It's not just about Jake, if someone's heart isn't in it, it drags down the culture of the organisation."

White has overhauled the Brumbies and employed a strict regime to transform the Brumbies into a Super Rugby force.

When he took over the club was at its lowest ebb following its 13th-placed finish in 2011 and sacking coach Andy Friend.

White lifted the Brumbies into the Super Rugby final last month and ended a nine-year play-off drought.

The Brumbies lost the final to the Waikato Chiefs.

The ARU overlooked White for the Wallabies coaching job in July when they sacked Robbie Deans and replaced him with Ewen McKenzie.

The ARU had been courting White since February when officials asked if he was keen to take over from Deans.

White was interviewed for the job in Melbourne but ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said McKenzie won the battle because he had a game plan to play "the Australian way".

That left White jaded with Australian rugby and he was fuming with the way the ARU treated him.

White only found out he missed out on the Wallabies job when told by a close friend and he hasn't spoken to Pulver since.

White also wanted to be back in South Africa to be closer to his two sons, Wes and Clinton.

He had a four-year deal with the Brumbies and spoke about a four-year plan to rebuild the club.

Fagan said the Brumbies' accelerated revival was a factor in White wanting to leave early.

Fagan also said no players had get-out clauses in their contracts to leave Canberra now White is no longer the coach.

"He can just not return from South Africa, we can't go and kidnap him and drag him across the ocean and force him to coach against his will," Fagan said of White.

"If someone doesn't want to be there, player or coach, it's very hard. This is a high-performance organisation and you're looking for every one per cent improvement. If someone can't do that, it drags down the whole culture of the organisation.

"It certainly came as a shock. We're very disappointed and everyone was positive off the back of last [season]. This came out of the blue. The primary reason is he missed out on the Wallabies job.

"At the time it happened he contemplated a release. He settled back down and re-committed to the club, but he's had a re-think and says he doesn't feel he can progress in Australian rugby through Super Rugby.

"If that carrot's not there, the sacrifice is too much for his family and he said his heart's not in it.

"I tried to talk him out of it ... we tried our best to turn it around. We've just got to move on.

"The thing that makes us feel comfortable is that the success and change has come earlier than expected. He probably achieved what he thought would take four years in a couple of years. Laurie Fisher and Stephen Larkham do the majority of the coaching and they're both head-coaching in waiting – those are Jake's words and I share his views."