It is hardly surprising that Johan Ackermann didn’t have any bombshells to drop at his first press conference in Pretoria on Wednesday.
His introduction as the new Bulls coach was routine, and Ackermann, who arrived back in the country on Monday after time as the Junior Boks’s consultant as they won the Junior World Championship, hasn’t found his feet yet.
Welcome coach 🤝 pic.twitter.com/n72tmUOSbt
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) July 22, 2025
The scenario that he walks into is an uncomfortable one.
The previous coach - Jake White - was ejected after a player revolt that included the assistant coaches, the pre-season started this week for the next round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the Currie Cup kicks off this weekend.
Ackermann isn’t the Director of Rugby - a post that White also fulfilled - but rather the head coach, and a number of decisions need to be taken before the season begins.
But for now he is simply finding his feet, and hoping that he can do that quickly, as the honeymoon period won’t last.
NO SWYS AS SIDEKICK
But in his first appearance he killed the idea of his former assistant and current SA Women’s coach Swys de Bruin joining him at Loftus, didn’t want to commit on the future of the two assistant coaches that were part of the rebellion and spoke of the dream it was to return to the franchise that gave him his start in rugby.
It was all the normal introductory press conference that you’d expect from a new appointment, but it was also clear that Ackermann knows the pressure will come quickly and he will be expected to do better than his predecessor, who lost three URC finals in four years.
The irony wasn’t lost on Ackermann either - as he joked about his own failure in finals - he lost two Super Rugby finals with the Lions and a European Challenge Cup final with Gloucester - but said he would be looking for that one per cent extra to take the Bulls over the hurdle they keep failing at.
Johan Ackermann is officially unveiled as the new Vodacom Bulls coach 👋🟦#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/yEx7reVM4j
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 23, 2025
PLAYER REVOLT
But one thing he wasn’t going to be commenting about, was the player revolt that ended White’s reign.
“It is always difficult to make any comments from the outside. The reality is that if you haven’t worked with the players and the team, it is difficult to make comments. For me the task is to get to know each player, each talent, what their strengths are and what they can do and then you can put a plan in place for your strengths,” Ackermann said.
“When we were at the under-20s now, when we got to selection, there were always two coaches pulling for one player and two coaches pulling for another player. Each guy's got his own view. That will be the same for me. I need to assess the squad and then make a decision on how we want to play. That will ultimately determine where we're going to end up.”
Ackermann said he understood the pressure and knows he will be judged by results, saying that it is an intimidating prospect.
“No, I'm not going to lie, it's intimidating in the sense that I know the people are going to judge my success on the pitch. The media are going to judge me. The first thing that is said is that the Bulls should have appointed a different coach. So I’m under no illusion about what I’m facing.
“But the one thing that I learned is that you can't control what you can’t control. I can't go back to the past, I can't change anything. I can do as well as I can, I can treat the people around me as well as I can, I can prepare the team as well as I can. The rest will have to take care of itself.”
“When I look at my career as a player, the highs and the lows, and I look at myself as a coach, the good times and the bad times, that's just a part of life. We're all going through this and I know the Lord has a plan for us.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
“But I know I can make a difference in one player's life, whether I can help him through something or with something, whether I can make him a better player, whether I can help him get better, or whether I can help him save his marriage, or whatever.
“If in two years they tell me it wasn’t good enough, then I will trust that the next door will open, but I am going to do my best. I won’t let the pressure change me and put the pressure on the players to win everything. I will handle it the way I want to handle it and drive the culture I want in the team.”
TEAM VALUES
Ackermann reiterated that his culture in a team is a values-based outlook that players have to buy into.
“I think it's a values thing. I think it's something that you just install and if everybody agrees on it, then you can't turn back on it. If we all agree these are our values and we have to work together from now on, then hopefully nobody will go against our values, otherwise hopefully the group will push you outside if you don't live those values.
“So for me, again, if we're going to establish the culture we want to have, then hopefully we won't have that problem, because I'll have an open-door policy where you can come and talk and speak about why are you not performing, or what do I do wrong as a coach and how do we get a middle ground on that, so that we don't get to a position where players have to be unhappy, or integrity is questioned, or trust is questioned, because otherwise we don't live to our values that we establish if that gets broken.”
Ackermann knows it won’t be easy, but is relishing the challenge. The Bulls management needed a man-manager to settle things after the revolt and they have their man now.
The fans will wait and watch how Ackermann takes this side forward. White’s success isn’t an easy path to follow, but that's the challenge he has.
And with little time to prepare, the pressure is on.