The winds of change continue to sweep through Loftus Versfeld with Blue Bulls Super Rugby coach Nollis Marais revealing his management team for next year’s competition which includes the return of former Bulls captain Anton Leonard as forwards coach.
The soft-spoken Leonard will return to the capital city after almost a decade of living in George and nine years after leaving the Bulls as a player.
Leonard, who led the Bulls to three Currie Cup titles, will be Marais’ assistant along with backline coach David Manuel who served in the role during this year’s Currie Cup campaign.
Former Bulls and Springbok hooker Gary Botha has been appointed as scrum and breakdown coach while Pine Pienaar remains in his position as defence coach with John-William Meyer and Divan Strydom coming in as technical advisors and the duo will also be assuming the role as kicking coaches.
Former Springbok flyhalf and kicking coach at the recently concluded Rugby World Cup, Louis Koen, will also be assisting the Bulls as a kicking consultant with Saru’s Mobi-Unit.
There will be more changes in the backroom staff after team doctor Org Strauss handed in his resignation and will be replaced by Dr Herman Rossouw while Elias Bennet will now be the baggage master for the Super Rugby team and relinquish his managerial role with the junior teams.
One of the most senior staff members, long serving physiotherapist Karabo Morokane, is the sole survivor from the Bulls’ Super Rugby winning teams of 2007, 2009 and 2010 and will be assisted by Wernich Smith, Pieter du Plessis, Sanell Morgan and Khuliso Netshivhagani with all the teams, while Elzanne van Coller will be the masseuse.
Marais will be pleased to have his management staff in place before the beginning of pre-season training but his biggest concern will be in adding a handful of big name signings to an already impressive Super Rugby squad.
Speculation is rife that Marais has his eyes set on some players from the beleaguered Eastern Province Kings franchise – explosive prop Lizo Gqoboka, loose forward Tim Agaba and Thembelani Bholi.
“There are a few guys that we are trying to see if they can get involved with us but unfortunately it is an ongoing process. At this moment nobody is due to join us apart from the guys we acquired earlier on; there might be add-ons down the line but everybody is still in contracts,” he said.
Marais is looking forward to the return of his Springboks in Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Rudy Paige, Handré Pollard, Jan Serfontein and Jesse Kriel, as well as the likes of Grant Hattingh, JJ Engelbrecht and Bjorn Basson from their stints in Japan.
However, the Bulls could be without influential Springbok utility back Francis Hougaard, who has signed a contract to play for the national Sevens side ahead of next year’s Rio Olympic Games.
Marais admitted that it was going to be a tricky juggling act to keep Hougaard in the team with his commitments in Japan and with the Blitzbokke and that a decision on the player’s future at Loftus will be taken in the coming weeks.
“I can’t say anything at the moment as I need to speak to the player first and then with management and see how we will deal with the situation. Obviously, he is a very talented player and I enjoyed working with him during the Currie Cup. There are also other players in the system, especially at scrumhalf like Rudy Paige and Piet van Zyl, so we will need to make a decision soon.”
Meanwhile, Blue Bulls Under-21 coach, Hendré Marnitz, has been promoted to Currie Cup coach for 2016 where he will be assisted by Denzil Frans (forwards) and Hayden Groepes (backs and technical).
Nqubeko Zulu and Simon Dyidi will be team manager and baggage master in the first round of the Currie Cup and Dlulane and Bennet will take over in round two. Zulu and Dyidi will then move to the Blue Bulls Under-21 team.
Former Blue Bulls Currie Cup coach Pote Human takes over from Marnitz as Under-21 head coach and will be assisted by former Springbok fullback Bevin Fortuin, who will coach the backs, with Vainon Willis the new technical analyst.
Former Leopards coach Jaco Pienaar is the new Blue Bulls Under-19 coach with former Bulls player Dewey Swartbooi the new backs coach. Hendry Seerane is the team manager, Willis technical analyst and Akhona Felani the baggage master. - The Star