For Nick White, his next career and life shift is a big one — from scrums to stirrups, from packs to ponies.

"Probably the biggest thing I'll miss are my mates in at the Chiefs ... I'm really stoked I could finish at a place like that."

After 30-odd years in top class rugby as a player, then coach, White has stood down from helping coach the Chiefs in the upcoming season and will pull away from rugby commitments.

The Chiefs scrum coach and his wife Nicky own and run Kaha Nui Farms, a thoroughbred nursery in Mystery Creek, Hamilton. The farm helps prepare young thoroughbreds for the yearling sales and they also work racehorses who are being spelled or rested.

White's new career means he doesn't have time to work the horses and also work the scrums for a full Super Rugby campaign.

The 50-year-old's excited about the equine future.

"We're still learning. You get them when they're young, they develop and grow. When you see the finished product at the end, go through the sales, it's satisfying."

Winding back the rugby clock, White made his debut for Northland in the mid-1990s, a left-footed goal kicking prop in a team full of hard doers.

"They'd have a lot of fun with you, but if you needed to be sorted out, they'd have no trouble doing that.

"That time taught me a lot of life skills, good and not so good!"

White would go on to play for Auckland in the NPC as well. He had Super Rugby stints with the Blues, Crusaders and Highlanders, and also played four games for New Zealand "A".

Given what he's seen across 30 years, straddling the amateur and professional era as a player and then coach, I asked how much has the game changed?

"I think it has changed but the basic skills haven't changed ... You've still got to catch and pass, tackle, clean out rucks, have the brains to get yourself to the right end of the field."

Do we overthink things now?

"Yeah, we've got to be careful we don't lose our DNA.

"Sometimes we get kids out of school used to playing with a GPS unit on their back, going from one spot to another spot … Just let them play and also let them play different sports."

A handy cricketer as well, after close to 200 first class rugby games, White retired with banged up hips.

He'd already started coaching while playing — an NPC assistant, to provincial head coach, then a Super Rugby scrum adviser with the Blues and Chiefs, with sage advice.

"You need to have an interest outside of rugby. Doesn't matter if you're a player or coach, otherwise you'll go crazy," White said.

"Slow them down when they're younger, get an apprenticeship, trade, varsity, go play club rugby ... I know it's not all about Saturday night and getting into it but you learn life skills.

"Do some dumb stuff at a professional level and it'll cost you your career."

Raised on a Northland farm, White clearly played for his mates and then coached more for the love of the game.

I asked White how he'd like to be remembered.

"I don't know ... someone who just gave it the good old 100 per cent I suppose."

How did you get the nickname Skinny?

"Well, I was a little bit bigger as a prop and I had two shit stirrers David Holwell and Hayden Taylor ... the worst two to have in a team just about … and it stuck forever."

If you see Skinny at the yearling sales in the New Year, say gidday.

The old saying "They don't make 'em like they used to" seems to have been hand-written for White.