6 Weeks after Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke resigned after failing to take his side to the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs, the Pretoria franchise are struggling to find a suitable replacement coach for next year’s tournament.
While Nollis Marais has been elevated from the Vodacom Cup to ABSA Currie Cup and is currently preparing the side in Japan ahead of their last friendly match against the Canon Eagles, there is a growing desperation and worry that the Bulls might not find a top quality coach before the preparation for next year’s expanded Super Rugby tournament begins.
It was expected that Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan would be the favourite, and sources close to the Bulls management say that he was offered the job, but turned the Bulls down, choosing to focus on the Springboks.
While Van Graan hasn’t commented on the move, he is currently concentrating on preparing the Springboks for their Rugby World Cup campaign.
The Springbok assistant coach is highly rated, and has also been linked to the DHL Stormers coaching position, but apparently didn’t feel it was the right time to return to the province where he learnt most of his rugby.
With Van Graan’s father Barend still CEO at the Blue Bulls union and having extended his contract for a further 3 years, this also played a part as the headstrong Springbok assistant is keen on proving his credentials on his own.
The situation got worse as it was learnt the Bulls had approached at least 3 other top international coaches, who all declined the offer to negotiate to take over the running of the 3-time Super Rugby champions.
According to sources, SuperSport analysts John Mitchell and Nick Mallett were approached as well as former Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and all declined the offer.
1 Of the major sticking points is the fact that Ludeke’s coaching team all still have contracts with the union and whoever takes over would not be able to choose their own management team.
While Pieter Rossouw has left and is currently helping Namibia prepare for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, Victor Matfield still has a 2-year contract with the union, as do many of the backroom staff.
Most international coaches would be unwilling to take over a team without the ability to appoint their own management teams and it seems this has become a massive sticking point for the Bulls.
Add to this the dearth of coaches locally that could step into a Super Rugby role with the pressures and expectations that a team like the Bulls have. It is also a testament to the Bulls’ own inability to institute a succession plan through their junior coaches that would have been able to step into the void.
Another sticking point is that whoever takes over will have little say for the next year in terms of recruitment, with most of it already done and many of the top players already committed to teams during the current transfer season.
While there has been a void, it seems that Marais has been consulted as to the players who have been recruited both at junior and senior levels as there is no current head coach.
Therefore, it may not be too much of a surprise, if Marais has some success in the Currie Cup this year, that the Bulls may appoint him in the Super Rugby position, with there being few other options available to them at the moment.
The Bulls face Canon Eagles on Saturday before they open their Currie Cup campaign next weekend.
SuperSport
I don’t think it’s so much a case of struggling to find a coach… more like not really trying hard to get 1, if you ask me.
I said, when Ludeke stepped down 6 weeks ago, that the Bulls will purposely delay appointing a head coach, as I think they will want to see what happens to the current Springbok coaching staff of Heyneke Meyer & Johan van Graan during the Rugby World Cup… and IF their national contracts will be extended or not.
A BIG failure of the Springboks at the World Cup will not see Heyneke & Van Graan’s contracts renewed… and they might then just be more than willing to return to the Bulls.
Both John Mitchell & Nick Mellett would not have fitted in at the Bulls… unfortunately.
But there are other options to explore still open… Jimmy Stonehouse is one of them.
… and who’s to say that Nollis Marais does not prove to be a vital asset for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup campaign?
ek sal hulle afrig,hulle ken mos hulle spel patroon uit hulle koppe…..
Naka
Andre Markgraaf
Dick Muir
PDV
Hugh Rees Edwards
Harry Viljoen
Actually they are waiting for VM to finish up at thecRWC so that he can take over.
3 @ Loosehead:
Your little list is terrible, just bloody terrible!
1. Naka – Out of rugby and into business… who wound want him anyway as Super Rugby coach, he did nothing at the Cheetahs.
2. Andre Markgraaff – The best of a bad bunch in your list. When last did he coach ANYTHING?
3. Dick Muir – Hell, who would want Tricky Dicky to coach their team… he would anyway not fit at the Bulls and would be better at the Sharks.
4. Peter de Villiers – Cannot even land himself a Currie Cup First Division coaching jobbie at Boland and his Varsity Shield team did not perform, no thank you, he is an embarrassment!
5. Hugh Reece Edwards – Would be better suited in an English environment, like at the Sharks.
6. Harry Viljoen – When last did he do ANY coaching, certainly none that I know of since he left the Springbok job, 11 or 12 years ago.
You recon Victor Matfield will be head coach at the Bulls?
I seriously doubt it, maybe or likely Assistant Coach… but Head Coach, nah!
Off Topic
Dale Steyn has become the joint second quickest bowler to 400 Test wickets in terms of Tests played, BUT the quickest ever in terms of actual Test deliveries bowled.
Great bowler.
5 @ Angostura:
Interesting!
Yeah, Dale Steyn has been great over the years… but lately has not had that very, very sharp edge to his bowling…
Hope he re-invents himself a bit and finds that very sharp edge again!
6 @ grootblousmile:
Don’t confuse real cricket with the other forms of cricket:
Dale is #1 ranked Test bowler in the world with a 903 rating. There is a massive gap between Dale & Trent Boult, the #2 on a rating of 814
And by the way, Dale took 3 of the 8 BD wickets to fall today. & he looked pretty sharp to me.
@ grootblousmile:
Dale was never as good an odi bowler as he is a test bowler. Never even close.
Happ…no…wait…you know the rest!!!
@ MacroPolo:
het erns gelees dale wil afskaal met die mickey mouse krieket en homself amper eksklusief op regte grootmens krieket toespits,hy reken hy het nog ten minste 200,toets paaltjies in hom
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Happy bday bb
@ smallies:
Ons sal maar sien, nog 100 paaltjies sal fantasties wees.
(Goin’ Off Topic … on the Off Topic)
Tomorrow is Black Tot Day
In less than 24 hours, people all over the globe will honour the bygone tradition of the naval tot:
http://pussersrum.com/blacktotday/
Yeah, I notice that even in South Africa, the Due North Rum Club will celebrate the occasion at the Algoa Bay Yacht Club, Dom Pedro Jetty, Port Elizabeth Harbour.
“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”
😀
13 @ Angostura:
What super news.
Seeing that it’s a Friday, and I have a measure of the Captain’s nectar firmly entrenched in my bar, I may just partake and celebrate “Black Tot Day”.
Thanks for the heads up.
Oh, and as for the Bulls, why don’t we get GBS registered for the IRB level 1 course, (Lions are holding one shortly), then once successfully completed he could apply!
@ Loosehead:
@3 Nee o hel, ek vat dan maar eerder vir Smallies van Aliwal-Noord Likkewane, sowaar!
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Congrats, many happy returns bruvva…may you grow so old that you would only be able to distinguish Stephen Moore from Nick White on a clear day with custom made Brumby looking glasses!
Have a good one
11 @ MacroPolo:
Cheers MP!
17 @ Pietman:
Cheers boet!
@ Pietman:
weet nie of daai spelers die ballas het vir n likrwane coach nie,ej dink die eerste keer wat hulle op geskree word harrdloop of fokof hier bliksem…..bars hulle in trane uit. hahahahahah
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Happy Birthday Bumbie.
In NZ and OZ (and I presume SA), all Thoroughbreds have their birthday on the 1st of August. End of,……………….. no fu#k*ng about.
I take it there is a different tradition among Ponies.
Have a great day BB.
🙂
18 @ BrumbiesBoy:
Very Happy, happy for yesterday, friend… may the year ahead be a special one!
I was too busy yesterday to spend any sensible time on R-T, so missed your birthday completely!
20 @ cane:
Are you turning 87 tomorrow, Mainstay Cane?
@ grootblousmile:
Getting close Dictator Groot.
Getting close.
It is said, the Greatest Rugby Team to ever leave NZ shores were the 1937 Springboks.
I now only know 1 person…………………………………………… who can remember seeing them.
The sands of time wait for no one………………………………..not ever Brumbie Boy.
Anyway 87 is my favourite number.
NZ won the Inaugural RWC in 1987,
and we won Our 2nd RWC 8 points to 7.
😎
11 @ MacroPolo:
Cheers Macro!
20 @ cane:
guys 
21 @ grootblousmile:
Some good news for me!
http://www.brumbies.com.au/News/Article/tabid/1213/ArticleID/15768/Speight-signs-on-to-stay-with-Brumbies-for-another-three-years.aspx
Bwahaha…so the sheriffs considered attaching the rugby posts as well???…
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/lions-assets-on-the-line-over-lawsuit-1.1893316#.VbyhjPOqqko
What a larf; “the company” will take the required R1-million out of last wekend’s petty cash box…
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