The Bulls’ new director of rugby has not yet for a single day appeared with a whistle in hand on the practice fields next to Loftus Versfeld, but after the announcement of Jake White’s appointment a few weeks ago, the winds of change are already blowing in the boardrooms of the Blue Bulls Company (BBCo).

It is clear that White is planning to make his mark on Bulls rugby very soon. He is definitely already preparing for it as well and he is obviously not afraid to step on a few toes to get the environment around him at Loftus ready for the new era.

In this process, some of White’s plans and the resulting changes have also become known. That includes the early termination of current head coach Pote Human’s contract, as well as the end of the road at Loftus for many players, including some high-profile stars and stalwarts.

When White’s appointment by the Bulls was announced during the second week of March shortly before the team’s SuperRugby tour, Human has made no secret that he does not see a future for himself at Loftus Versfeld under White’s leadership.

Human is the first member of the coaching staff to leave the ship after White was appointed. There is currently no indication as to whether any of the other members of the Bulls coaching team could also decide to leave Loftus.

It’s no secret that guys like backline- and attack coach Chris Rossouw and defence specialist Pine Pienaar are both men hand-picked by Human for his management team. If White chooses to make his own appointments in these positions, men like Rossouw and Pienaar will have to be deployed or bought out, as both have contracts with the Bulls.

The names of several senior players who may be victims of the new White-regime are also mentioned in Loftus Versfeld’s corridors. In fact, there is even speculation that White will want to get rid of almost half of the current contracted group of players. Among these names is one of the biggest disappointments of the shortened 2020 season, the Springbok lock Juandré Kruger, who returned to Pretoria at the beginning of the season after a few years in France. Other names mentioned are those of Kruger’s lock partner, the experienced Andries Ferreira, the current Bulls captain, Burger Odendaal and loose forward Wian Vosloo.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the versatile backline player, Johnny Kotze, has already signed a contract with a club in Japan and will definitely leave the Bulls.

– The Bulls, meanwhile, are also looking for a new Chief Executive, after Aflons Meyer announced his resignation a week ago. The very promising young and dynamic rugby administrator of the Lions, Edgar Rathbone, is by all accounts the favourite to succeed Meyer. Rathbone is not only an excellent administrator, but understands the dynamics of rugby as such probably much better than Meyer, who was a skilled businessman, but seemingly lacked experience as a rugby administrator.

– Although no final decisions have yet been made, it can be assumed that the 2020 SuperRugby season will be cancelled and recorded as “unfinished” in the history books due to the COVID-19 crisis. This means that for the first time since 1996, no champion will be crowned in the tournament.

– Rugby administrators hope to reach an agreement with the government that the Currie Cup series will be able to continue this year. Administrators who spoke to Rekord said they accepted that, if they succeeded in this goal, the tournament would likely take place in empty stadiums and with only TV and other media coverage.

Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:

Rekord East

Rekord North

Rekord Centurion

Rekord Moot

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram