HARD WORK ESSENTIAL: Ackermann's expectations for team culture

New Vodacom Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has made his intentions clear when it comes to team culture - a selfless, hard-working squad is what he envisages for the future of the Pretoria franchise.

Egos won’t be tolerated and every player will have to earn their jersey, whether they have played 100 tests or are in the under-20s. Simple as that.

Ackermann is known for his integrity and no-nonsense approach to rugby, and is a firm disciplinarian, but is well-liked for his honest and forthright approach to the teams he has worked with.

At Loftus he signified it wouldn’t be any different, and the players would always know where they stand.

“I want a team that works hard. So, if you're not willing to work hard, it's going to be a problem. I want a team that is a serving team.It’s not about you. You must serve the team first,” Ackermann told the media in his first press conference.

“It is about picking up a thing that lies around, giving somebody water first before you drink it, caring for your teammates and those around you. You have the opportunity to treat people, so how do you treat them?

RESPECT AND TRUST

“If we have that respect and trust for each other, that will be important. The last thing is, I said (to the players), I want to trust you. If I say something you don't like, tell me immediately.”

Ackermann didn’t want to dwell too much on the way the Bulls would play, saying he needed to discuss it with his management and staff first.

“The style of play. I don’t want to say too much about that. That is something that we must keep to ourselves, but I will say that, hopefully, the supporters will enjoy the style of play.”

But he made it clear that he isn’t a Director of Rugby - like his predecessor Jake White was - but rather a head coach who wants to be on the field getting his hands dirty.

Ackermann added that he would assess the players fairly, and determine the game plan according to the skillset he has at his disposal. But nobody would simply walk into the team.

“The big thing is how they will fit into the plan. The challenge is, and I made it quite clear to the group when I met with them the first time: To play for the Bulls, you have to earn the jersey.

“And unfortunately, I am of the opinion that you can have 100 tests or be an Under-20 player, if you do what we expect you to do from a coaching perspective, you will play.

CULTURE IS IMPORTANT

“So it’s not about players that are coming in, or the ones that were recruited before me, I am happy to work with whatever the squad is, as long as they fall into our culture and perform like we want them to perform,” he said.

Ackermann added that he knows he has a bit to learn about winning finals - his own record isn’t much better in finals than the Bulls, but he was hopeful they would find that extra something that would get them over the line to add trophies to the cabinet. The Bulls lost three Vodacom United Rugby Championship finals in four years.

FINALS TRACK RECORD NOT GREAT

“My track record in finals isn’t great – I’ve lost two Super Rugby and a European Challenge Cup finals – so I’m not going to pretend I know the missing one per cent,” Ackermann smiled.

“Sometimes it’s one pass, one refereeing decision. The Springboks won a World Cup with three one-point wins. If any of those had gone the other way, people would be asking what was missing.

“What I can control is planning well, getting players into a good space, and ticking every box to give ourselves the best shot.”

The first few days have been tough on the new coach as he navigates his new workplace, and he still needs to find his feet, but Ackermann knows time is limited and he will need to hit the ground running,.

“It’s been a whirlwind – from meeting with staff, doing media, speaking to the players and starting to get my head around all the different competitions and integration plans,” he said.

“Right now I’m just observing the Currie Cup setup and trying to understand how everything works before making too many changes.”

The Bulls pre-season started this week and the URC players are all likely to be with the team by early next week. The Springboks will join after their Rugby Championship responsibilities have been fulfilled.