“I would never ask Rassie for game plans, merely a careful eye on what we are doing. This is about alignment and perspective, not about outsourcing our coaching.”
Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has clarified media reports and social media speculation, with three Springbok assistant coaches and a mobi-unit coach having been made available to help the struggling union ahead of their URC derby against the Stormers on Saturday.
This comes after SA Rugby answered Ackermann’s request for assistance by agreeing that Bok assistant coaches Jerry Flannery, Felix Jones and Andy Edwards, along with mobi-unit coach Duane Vermeulen, would help the Bulls management team.
This led to an outcry over favouritism, with SA rugby perceived as giving one union an unfair advantage over another.
But on Tuesday, Ackermann released a statement saying any help would come after the United Rugby Championship derby, and coaches would assist on a rotational basis rather than all at once.
“I never asked for that, and Rassie also said it wouldn’t be ideal,” Ackermann explained.
“The thought that they would be in camp this week is ridiculous, and I challenge any press photographer to get a picture of a Bok coach at Loftus this week. It was never our intention.”
OPINION: Stormers flying too high to worry about the Bulls receiving help
Bulls won’t ‘outsource’ coaches
The Bulls have now lost five games in a row, and won only three of nine URC and Champions Cup matches so far this season. They’ve conceded 45 tries and 307 points in total in nine matches. That’s five tries, and 34 points, conceded on average per game.
They lie 10th on the URC table and fifth in their Champions Cup pool.
The coach expressed frustration at misinformed reporting: “The story was spread without the facts, and nobody bothered to speak to me. The truth is simple: I assessed everything and wanted a fresh pair of eyes to look at our defensive structures and bounce ideas off.”
He clarified the nature of his request, saying he called Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus.
“I said, you’ve always made your team of coaches available, and I’d love it if someone like Jerry Flanerry could come in and look at our defensive systems and share some ideas.
“I don’t expect the Bok coaches to put a plan together on how to win. That is my job as head coach. I have my own system; it was never my idea to secure plans.”
Ackermann added that any collaboration would be practical and rotational.
“You can’t expect the Bok coaches, one of whom lives in Ireland, to be at Loftus every week. I’d be happy if they rotated, which is where the idea of involving Duane Vermeulen and Felix Jones came in.”
He concluded: “I would never ask Rassie for game plans, merely a careful eye on what we are doing. This is about alignment and perspective, not about outsourcing our coaching.”
