Nollis Marais out, Blue Bulls reshuffle management teams
The Blue Bulls Company on Sunday evening announced dramatic changes to their coaching and management teams and it seems that Nollis Marais's career as a coach at the union has come to an end.
According to all indications Nollis Marais, until Saturday the head coach of the Blue Bulls’ Currie Cup team, reached the end of the road as professional rugby coach at the Blue Bulls.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd confirmed on Sunday evening that Marais has been granted leave for the remainder of the 2017 season.
Marais’s Currie Cup team on Saturday suffered their third Currie Cup defeat of the season, while they were able to score only two victories thus far. Two of these defeats were on their home ground at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Although the initial plan was that the Bulls’ new director of rugby, John Mitchell, would only be involved in a supervisory capacity during the current Currie Cup campaign before taking over as head coach for next year’s Super Rugby season, Mitchell will now take over as head coach in an attempt to save the Currie Cup season for the Blue Bulls.
At the same time, the management of the union’s Currie Cup team as well as the u.21 and u.19 teams were changed. As part of the process some of Marais’s assistants at the Currie Cup team were demoted and redeployed at junior teams, while Pote Human (lineouts) and Hayden Groepes (skills and kicking) have been promoted from the junior structures to the Currie Cup team.
The strength and conditioning teams of all the professional squads at the Blue Bulls were also reshuffled.
Barend van Graan, CEO of the BBCo, explained that this action is merely the next step in their turnaround strategy. This follows the continued unfolding of a turnaround strategy that the BBCo announced earlier this year.
“We are working hard to ensure the sustainable and long-term success of the Bulls and Blue Bulls, as we continue striving towards achieving success and restoring trust and faith in our brand,” said Van Graan.
The BBCo confirmed the following management teams for the remainder of the 2017 season:
Currie Cup team:
- Head Coach, Attack, Exits: John Mitchell
- Skills and Kicking: Hayden Groepes
- Lineouts: Pote Human
- Scrums: Gary Botha
- Defence (All teams, junior and senior): Pine Pienaar
- Strength and Conditioning: Jacus Coetzee (Head Weekly Tactical Periodisation and Rehab); Ghafoer Luckan (Senior Strength and Conditioning assistant)
The u.21 Currie Cup team:
- Head Coach: David Manuel
- Backline Coach: Bevin Fortuin
- Forward Coach: Anton Leonard
- Strength and Conditioning: Shaun du Toit
The u.19 Currie Cup team:
- Head Coach and Backline: Dewey Swartbooi
- Forward Coach: Denzil Frans
- Strength and Conditioning: Henri-Charl Terblanche, Yusuf Vahed (Junior Strength and Conditioning assistant)
- Junior teams kicking, all teams’ PR and Administration: Divan Strydom
Van Graan also said that the status quo for all other members of the High-Performance Department, not referred to above, remains the same.
“I believe this step furthermore grants us the opportunity to cross pollinate within our structures, ensuring what coaches have learnt whilst being involved at senior rugby levels is transferred throughout the entire system and structure, thus benefiting at all levels. We urge our supporters and fans to rally behind the team by coming out and showing their support,” Van Graan added.
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