Exclusive: Ackermann will get Bulls shining even brighter - Matfield

Three replicas of the SuperRugby trophy shine like mica in a cabinet in the foyer of the Loftus Versfeld administration building, a harsh reminder in some ways of the three United Rugby Championship finals that the Bulls have lost, but former captain Victor Matfield believes the appointment of Johan Ackermann as the new coach could lead to them finally claiming the title they most desire.

The 55-year-old Ackermann returns to his roots following his announcement this week as the replacement for Jake White, who was shown the exit after not only losing a third URC final earlier this year but then seemingly saying his players lacked the substance required to win the competition, leading to a revolt from senior team members and his assistant coaches.

Lock Ackermann began his professional playing career with the Bulls in 1995, from where he graduated to the Springboks, playing 13 Tests between 1996 and 2007. He is considered a legend in Pretoria club rugby circles.

Ackermann's most recent coaching involvement has been as a consultant for the Junior Springboks, who will play in the WorldRugby U20 Championship final against New Zealand in Italy on Saturday. Before that the former Springbok lock coached the Red Hurricanes and Urayasu D-Rocks in Japan and took Gloucester to a Challenge Cup final and a Premiership semi-final.

But Ackermann's greatest success came as coach of the Bulls' Gauteng neighbours, the Lions. Promoted from forwards coach to head coach in 2013, he took the Lions - perennial strugglers in the southern hemisphere franchise tournament - to two consecutive SuperRugby finals. He was named South Africa's coach of the year on three occasions.

Matfield, who captained the Bulls in their glory years (2007-2010) in SuperRugby, said he was delighted by Ackermann's appointment because he has the ability to create a brotherhood at Loftus Versfeld and insulate the union from further player unhappiness.

"Ackers showed what he can do with the Lions, where he had a small budget and youngsters, but he built something special. He is a people-person, a mix of a manager and a coach. And with players like Jan Serfontein and Handre Pollard coming to the Bulls to join Marcell Coetzee and Ruan Nortje, he will need to be. But I am sure he will keep the playing group happy," Matfield told sportsboom.com in an exclusive interview.

"You get different types of coaches. Rassie Erasmus is more of a technical coach and some coaches are almost more like managers - they know how to get the players focused and moving in a good direction.

"It's unbelievable what Ackers achieved at the Lions and I think he'll be very good at the Bulls. It's a good group for him to get because he likes to manage people, to sell them a dream. I know he found it difficult in Japan because the language barrier means you can't speak to the players directly and he likes to do one-on-ones. He's a good guy to come in after Jake and he'll get a great culture going," Matfield said.

Electrifying Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith first sprang to national prominence playing for Ackermann's Lions and he said his former coach has the ability to mine the best out of his players.

"He's a brilliant coach and as a youngster I really enjoyed playing under him. He has the ability to get a group together, all aligning for the same goal. I think he will be a big success at the Bulls because they already have brilliant players there.

"Now they will get aligned and I think the Bulls will do marvellous things now with Ackers," Smith said in Nelspruit, where the Springboks were preparing for Saturday's Test against Georgia.

Full Monty

Bulls president Willem Strauss was confident that Ackermann's appointment was the puzzle piece needed for the Bulls to now go the Fully Monty and win the URC crown.

"Ever since Ackers arrived at the Police College as an 18-year-old, Pretoria has been his home. Even while coaching in Johannesburg, Japan and England, his home was in Pretoria," Strauss pointed out. "It was written in the stars that Ackers, himself a product of our famous Springbok lock factory, should coach the Vodacom Bulls some day!
"We are close to the next level, converting losing finals into winning finals is much easier than reaching finals! Welcome home Johan!"

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Ken Borland

kenborland.com

ken@kenborland.com