Gratitude drives Ackermann's desire to upset the odds in Ireland

Gratitude

The meaning of the word is profound:  It is a positive emotional response of thankfulness and appreciation for the kindness of others or the meaningful, valuable things in life. It goes far beyond a polite "thank you," requiring conscious recognition of the good in your surroundings, even during difficult times.

Given that definition it isn’t surprising that the word is bandied about a lot in the Vodacom Bulls' circles these past few months. 

As the team prepares for next weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final against defending champions Leinster, the one word that consistently comes through is Gratitude.

CENTRAL THEME

As coach Johan Ackermann points out, it is the central theme in the team, the cornerstone of a season they turned around from being on the brink of disaster. And as they go into the final week of the season, it is gratitude that will carry them to Ireland.

Ackermann explained the word and its significance in the class of 2026 at Loftus Versfeld. It forms part of the values he wanted inscribed on the team when he took over at the end of last season from Jake White.

And it wasn’t surprising. A player push had exited White after getting to the final and losing badly, and then suffering the indignation of being told the players weren’t good enough to win the title.

All this and more led to White’s exit. Ackermann took over, and despite a rough start they now face the same opponent at the same stage of the season.

The same mountain to climb, the same underdog status, and the same chance to prove their doubters wrong. Whether they take it will be up to them.

“It's one of our values. Gratitude is our first value of our five values. I said to them, for me it's important that we understand that it's a privilege to be here, it's a privilege to be at the Bulls specifically, and to be part of the game of rugby,” Ackermann explained.

“We must be thankful that we can inspire people through what we do. We can earn an income, you're healthy. If you are not healthy, you can't play this game. A game that gives you the chance to make friendships, that you can belong to something.

#TheUnbreakableLine built on trust.@Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA pic.twitter.com/Waoh1V6ppC — Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 9, 2026

PRIVILEGE

“Your family has put in a lot of time for you to live your dream and there's always somebody that sacrifices something. For me, it starts with gratitude. It's not your right, you're not entitled to be here, but to get up in the morning and to come to work and to call this work, it's a great privilege.

“That's why it's so important for me and I'm so glad that the players and everybody feels the same. It's a great privilege.”

And the season was tough, so to keep that perspective says a lot about the mental fortitude of the team at the moment. The Bulls went through a seven-game losing streak before turning it around.

They snuck into the Champions’ Cup playoffs and started slowly to rebuild, and then won 11 out of their last 12 games to finally book their place in the final.

TIMES OF DOUBT

That was the toughest part for Ackermann, who said he had his doubts at times, but his belief that they were on the right track kept him focusing on the task at hand.

“It was tough mentally to think how we're going to get out of the hole, although you keep on believing. I kept on asking - obviously in my private time - how are we going to get out of this. I can also credit the people around me who were always positive. 

“The players always came out with good energy to train. I think at one stage, you didn't think about anything other than just to qualify, just to get into the playoffs. I think that was probably at one stage the main target.

“As the season progressed, the talks of having a home quarterfinal started to materialise but I think I always said that if we can turn it around and if we can just get into the playoffs, I believe the team can beat anybody. I won't lie, there were times that you start doubting if we were going to turn things around.”

Ackermann said his experience as a coach and the belief that they were on the right road was what carried him through.

FAITH HAS BROUGHT REWARD

“Sometimes you have to go through the desert before you get the reward. As a man of faith, I'm going to always believe that everything works out for the good. That's where it personally started for me.

“I won't have the answers and I need to trust, but when I come in the mornings, I've got the obligation to lead and to get the atmosphere where the players can still be valued and enjoy what they do. That was my motivation. But I think the real spark was credit to Neil (de Bruin, assistant coach) who came in and brought in new energy and a new excitement as well.

“I think the spark was the fact that the players kept believing in the plans that we wanted to implement. The culture started to form, our values started to get more practical. And then our game against Pau (the Champions Cup final pool game that the Bulls needed to win away from home to qualify for the playoffs).

“When we got over the line there, I saw our team really start believing in what we want to do. For me, that stood out.”

And now, with the final beckoning, is this the dream come true? Ackermann doesn’t have the answer just yet.  But at least he has taken the Bulls to the same stage as White did, and that was the initial goal.

PRESSURE WAS ON

“Every team, when the season kicks off,  says they want to play in the final. For every team, that's probably the ultimate goal. Personally, I knew that, taking into account the history of this place and how passionate the supporters are, that if we don't get to the final, there will be a lot of questions asked, especially if we don't even get to the playoffs.

“So, I knew that pressure was on. But the most important thing for me is to start building on a culture and a philosophy of how I see rugby, because I do believe that rugby is great and we're all very, very passionate about it. But there is a bigger picture outside of that, is the culture and the way you, when players go through the team, how do they leave this team?

“I still think we've got the obligation to see where we can make a positive change and input into their lives. But now we're here, now we're in the final and now, obviously, everyone is very grateful that the season turned out this way. It's just a great blessing and I'm thankful to the Lord for giving us this opportunity.

“And obviously, it's not me, there's so many people that are behind the scenes that make this possible. So, I can just thank everybody.”

And if the Bulls do upset the odds in Dublin next week, there will be plenty of people that will thank Ackermann for his belief as well. 

Last time out in Ireland.

UP NEXT 👉 VURC Grand Final.@Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA pic.twitter.com/H66mGPvd1e — Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 11, 2026