OPINION: Jan de Koning takes a hard look at the erratic form of the Bulls and the possible reasons for their floundering form.
It was French writer Alphonse Karr who coined the paradoxical observation: ‘Plus Áa change, plus c’est la mÍme chose’.
Translated, it says: ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’
This is applicable to a Bulls team in dire need of resuscitation.
The change of head coach, with Johan Ackermann appointed after the departure of Director of Rugby Jake White in June, has not delivered the desired results.
Frankly, that was like painting a wall without fixing the crack first.
Initially, it looks good, but a couple of weeks later, the crack resurfaces.
And that certainly rings true for the franchise based at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in the suburb of Arcadia.
Ackermann’s tenure started off with a couple of United Rugby Championship wins, beating Ospreys 53-40 and Leinster 39-31, both in Pretoria.
However, the cracks started appearing at the Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, a 7-28 loss to Ulster.
They bounced back with a 28-27 squeaker over Connacht in Galway, which was marred by the eight-match ban of Jan-Hendrik Wessels for allegedly grabbing the testicles of rival forward Josh Murphy.
The Bulls have not won a match since losing to Glasgow Warriors (12-21 away), Lions (33-43 at Loftus) and 33-46 to Bordeaux-Begles in a Champions Cup Round One outing in Pretoria.
Ackermann was portrayed as the figurehead who could end the Bulls ‘bad’ run, three losses in the URC Finals in the four years.
However, the bouleversement shows no signs of quieting.
Maybe it was because the Bulls had only papered over the cracks.
Management never really addressed the problems or flaws that resulted in a breakdown between White and his backroom staff, or even the players.
They only ‘superficially’ dealt with the real issues, creating a temporary illusion of improvement, while ignoring the real, underlying issues.
Let’s look at what really changed.
Jake White departed, by mutual consent, after a review and reports of internal conflict with players and assistant coaches.
Johan Ackermann took over as head coach.
However, most of the assistant coaches were retained – Andries Bekker (forwards), Chris Rossouw (back), Werner Kruger (scrums) and Jean Tiedt (defence).
The playing roster and team leadership, which reportedly threatened with a ‘walk-out’ if White wasn’t removed, also remained.
So what really changed?
The Bulls were given a new coat of paint, but the cracks were not fixed.
It showed in the European meltdown at Loftus this past weekend.
Having built up a handy (33-22) half-time lead over Bordeaux-Begles, the Bulls failed to score in the second half.
Two yellow cards, to David Kriel and Handre Pollard, and four tries saw the French club race away to a 46-33 lead.
It was the same with the loss to the Lions, also at Loftus, where they trailed by only three points (19-22), before the visitors raced clear to lead 43-19 with five minutes remaining. Two late tries gave the Bulls’ score some respectability, but the damage had been done.
The question is now: Will management have the intrepidity to address the real issues?
Will they fix the cracks, rather than adding another layer of cosmetic ‘paint’?
Rugby Unfiltered.
