New twist to Bulls coach saga

Johan Ackermann, the favourite to replace Jake White as Vodacom Bulls head coach, has received another offer.

According to Rapport, the former Lions coach received a contract extension offer from SA Rugby to continue his work with the Junior Springboks before news broke about White’s situation at the Bulls.

White is expected to leave his role – despite having taken the Bulls to three Vodacom URC finals in four seasons and being contracted until 2027 – following reported discontent among senior players and assistant coaches Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw over White’s leadership.

Rapport says the Bulls are expected to confirm White’s departure within the next two weeks.

Ackermann joined the Junior Boks as a forwards consultant in January on a six-month deal which was extended by a month to include the World Rugby U20 Championship that starts on Sunday.

The 55-year-old had emerged as a leading candidate for the Loftus job due to his strong relationship with Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone (who he worked with at the Lions) and president Willem Strauss.

However, two other big names are also in the mix.

Franco Smith, who guided the Glasgow Warriors to the 2024-25 URC title, is under contract until 2026 but is reportedly frustrated by budget constraints and foreign player rules in Scotland.

Johann van Graan, fresh off a historic treble with Bath – winning the EPCR Challenge Cup, English Premiership and Premiership Cup – has a contract until 2030 but is believed to still harbour ambitions of coaching the Bulls and eventually the Springboks.

This story was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.