Johan Ackermann’s Vodacom Bulls are a team built on resilience, trust and defensive grit, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane says the Bulls’ surge to the URC final was driven by a cultural shift engineered by their coach after a disastrous mid-season slump.
“Ackermann never publicly berated, blamed, or excused his players. He spoke of simple values: unity, desire, respect and care; not for a jersey but for each other.”
After seven successive defeats across competitions, Keohane says the Bulls “found their soul”.
Having won just three of their first eight URC matches, they lost only once in their final 10 league games and carried that momentum into the playoffs.
HANDRÉ: Bulls must control emotion
Keohane highlights the 22-21 semi-final victory over Glasgow at Murrayfield as the defining example of the Bulls’ new mentality. Trailing 21-3 and down to 13 men after yellow cards for Handré Pollard and Ruan Nortjé, they refused to buckle.
While stars such as Embrose Papier, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom grabbed headlines, Keohane argues it was defence, breakdown pressure and collective belief that powered the turnaround.
Marco van Staden, Johan Grobbelaar, Hanekom and Jeandré Rudolph led the turnover battle, while Nortje and Marcell Coetzee set the tone physically.
ACKERS: Discipline paramount to Bulls’ final success
For Keohane, the Bulls are in the final because they rediscovered their identity.
“It was the belief of a team in each other and their refusal to disappoint each other that got them to Dublin.”
Photo: Vodacom Bulls
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Johan Ackermann’s Vodacom Bulls are a team built on resilience, trust and defensive grit, writes @mark_keohane
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