‘A new start like a new year’: Bulls coach hopes regular Bok availability will turn tide in 2026

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann hopes the end of the Springbok season and the start of a new year will allow him to plan his combinations and strategies more effectively, and help turn the tide in what has been a dismal season so far for the Pretoria union.

The new year marks roughly the midpoint of the rugby season, with Ackermann having struggled in his first campaign in charge of the Bulls.

The team languishes in 11th on the United Rugby Championship log with three wins from eight games, and fifth in their Champions Cup pool after two defeats.

They have lost six games in a row and are undergoing a coaching shake-up with the dismissal of assistant coaches Chris Rossouw (backline) and Andries Bekker (forwards). Former Lions assistant Neil de Bruin replaced Rossouw while Ackermann said he would handle much of the forwards training himself.

Ackermann also requested the input of Springbok assistant coaches, with Felix Jones paying a visit to training this week ahead of their Champions Cup match against Bristol Bears at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

The Bulls must win the match to stay in the competition, otherwise they will drop into the second-tier Challenge Cup, or out of European competition altogether, following next week’s final pool game against Section Paloise.

But they are on a six-match losing streak, going against an English powerhouse that has won their last six games.

‘I wasn’t hoping for that’

Ackermann said the absence of so many Springboks during last year’s international season made it incredibly difficult to prepare and compete at their best.

Still, he could not have foreseen the situation he would be in when he optimistically took the reins at one of the toughest clubs to coach.

“Nobody can foresee the future, where you will be after a certain number of games. And nobody wants a losing streak. I wasn’t hoping for that. That obviously makes it a bit more difficult,” the Bulls coach said.

“Then again, if I can use tennis as an example, if you’re [rated] number one and you’re not number one anymore, you can only go one way, and that’s down. That’s the challenge, and everybody has their opinions.”

Bulls target 2026

He said the Bulls reaching three United Rugby Championship finals in four years had created much expectation when Jake White left.

“Because the Bulls were so successful… anything other than winning is not good enough. So, we are not good enough at the moment.”

However, he said the Bulls are feeling more settled and can have more consistent selection after the Bok season.

“I think we’re close. Hopefully, if we can get that going, getting players back and getting consistency in selection, we will have a new start like a new year.”