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One of the most underrated people involved in South African rugby is Johan Ackermann. When he replaced John Mitchell everyone thought that he was simply a stop gap until the Lions administrators could find a permanent solution to their coaching dilemma, but Ackermann has become a lot more than that! The Lions where the whipping boys of Super Rugby and with an brand new inexperienced coach, they were doomed to remain languishing at the bottom end of the Super Rugby table, except that Ackermann never received that memo. With just about zero coaching experience, and with a team with basically no recognisable players, he not only created a highly competitive outfit, he also brought an expansive game plan back into South African rugby. The spin off for the whole of South Africa is, a larger pool of decent players to pick the national side from, an investment boost for Lions rugby due to the return of fans to the stadium, and a group of players that are not afraid to run the ball . He even revived the career of Jantjes (Amongst others) that almost had the talent coached out of him by the idiots running the Stormers.
Thank you Johan, and may your success continue!      

Agreed. Wish the Sharks had a coach half as good as Ackers.

There is a serious need for coach changes in SA.  Ackerman is virtually the only one who developed a team of relative unknowns into a very good team.   Drotske was the same two years ago - and was then floored by the other financially more powerful looting of his key players.
The issue is that Drotske is now gone and Coetzee is going away to Japan too - I wish he was gone already.  So two vacancies already.
The other two - Gold and Ludeke - are competing with each other as to who are the greatest fools amongst the rugby coaches.  In the meantime the management of the Sharks franchise is in chaos.
And then we have Meyer at the top of the pile - the coach relying on his pals of the past to form the nucleus of the Springbok team and him being  without any ability to identify talented younger players.   
If we ever have need for urgent renewal of rugby in SA - start getting rid of the remaining three not already going as soon as possible.     

Ackers is no doubt good at his job, but the real brains behind it all is assistant coach Swys de Bruin  

 Dave
The excellence of a good leader depends on his ability to identify and use support staff and that is where Ackerman is also good. `  

I have to agree with you Bluebok. I don't think he is a perfect coach by any means, but considerably better than what I would expect from a South African. However, this is not the first time the Lions have had a good coach! Do recall Eloff, who guided the Lions to some extraordinary feats, including beating the Crusaders in New Zealand, a feat never before done or repeated by a South African team until last years victory by the Sharks! That was a very high powered attack with an overall less talented team than what we have today. The sad thing is that Eloff was forced out and the Lions rot began right there. Jake took over things for a CC before stabilizing the team and drastically improving their structures. But once Muir took over the following Super rugby campaign they suffered a series of record defeats, it has taken a long time to get back to where they are today and with the idiocy of the Kings threatening their participation it looked very bleak to say the least. The point to all of this is that we do have some good coaches, not many though. But it's hard to break through in South Africa. Nobody seems to be accountable, there is always a job for pals approach as we saw with the Sharks assistant's debacle involving Jake. And as Jake said before, you don't really know who your best coaches are in any given area because there is no progression system, unlike New Zealand.

Michael your anti-Bulls stance is a disgrace. I admit, in 2008 I was not very supportive of Ludeke, but to turn the tide many times and make the bulls competitive is truly remarkable. After the 2011 season he lost Victor, Bakkies, Dani, Du Preez, amongst many others and they finished second. They have been continually losing players and at points haven't even had a real centre combination worthy of the name but still find ways to be competitive. Ludeke has shown repeatedly that he can adapt and use what's available to him to get the job done. His experience and expertise should not be disregarded lightly! You bemoan the need for coaches but then attack our best, so typical of you. Meyer's only real faults were give YOU what YOU wanted and it backfired spectacularly! Do you care to bring that up? Of course not. You criticize him for not fielding a team of inexperienced substandard nobodies, all of which highlights the cealing of rugby intellect at the very least.

 Letsal
Any coach who does not take measures to replace aging players and falls back on has-beens of the past instead of developing new talented players and use them - should be destined for the dustbin.   Ludeke set a horrible example of that and Meyer was even worse.   To bring back Matfield was a fatal mistake for both teams.   But Meyer's list of ex-players was much longer and all of them ultimately failed - with some realizing that they have failed and announcing their retirement from international rugby, otherwise they would still be in the squad.   
The other problem is that both Ludeke and Meyer use ex-forwards as attacking coaches.   Even though Matfield's real claim to fame is that he was and is constantly moonlighting in the backline - he knows nothing of backline attacking play.  That was the main reason for the failure of the bulls to develop centers and is why the Bulls is regarded as the graveyard for centers.
Gold has no chance of success for the Sharks - because their geriatric situation is beyond the pale.  
    

 F@k Oubaas, maar jy kan darem k@k praat.

Here is a nugget of wisdom that you will never have thought of on your own: You cannot make a player into a great player. Just because someone is younger it does not mean they have any real potential. And this is the crux to our present situation, barely a handful of our next gen players are any good. Meyer tried blooding strings of inexperienced players and it didn't work. In fact, the method you prescribe hasn't worked for any team! Whilst some older players may be in decline, many of them still outplay their younger counterparts because they are more talented, better skilled and more intelligent. The intellect of the next gen is very disturbing and paints a bleak picture of where South Africa as a society is today. In short, they are stupid. And worse then that, passive! Stupid and passive, fine attributes for a test player indeed!! Many of the players you attack are either the greatest to have ever played in their positions or among the greats. That's not an easy thing to replace Michael. Meyer is a vastly more intelligent person than any of his critics, especially you, and were he to have youngster who could do the job, he would most certainly take them. Every coach's dream is a young team brimming with talent that can stay together a very long time and dominate. But real coaching is a more delicate balancing act. Love it or hate it, the players you hate have contributed significantly to the Boks successes under Meyer. Fan favourites, however, have cost us many tests. The last of which being the EOYT! You speak so boldly for one who predicted big things for Lambie and Reinach. And very snake-like for attacking the coach whose failure was giving in to YOUR demands!

Gld has little chance because the Sharks players are empowered just as the many failed Aussie franchises were. The Brumbies' success under Jake was preceded by a cleanout of these cancerous types, but in Safferland they never get up-rooted. Gold is also not much of a head coach in my opinion. An intelligent and astute coaching mind, but not a head coach.

 I am not the one to be attacked - why don't you indicate for what reasons you differ from my assessment of the situation.   I am really looking forward to a good laugh at the BS you would come up with.  
The sooner we are rid of Ludeke, Gold and Meyer - the better it would be for development of rugby in SA.    

Development, getting rod of two of the most successful and proven coaches in the game. Have you taken lessons from the ANC or something? Yous gots ta dastroy shizz ta makez it betta, ja dats da weigh forwerd. More pearls of wisdom, and I explained my position fully Michael. It's all self-explanatory really.

 Two of the most successful and proven coaches - I am laughing my ass off. Two of the most backward looking coaches imaginable!!!!!!  

 Johan must be applauded for what he has done for the Lions

 Ludeke is the most successful South African Super rugby coach and Meyer, with a less talented team than Peter has completely upstaged him. In fact, he has done well compared to any Bok coach. That is called a proven track record Michael. So please kindly do yourself the dignity of plucking your rump off the floor.

 Unfortunately coaches nowadays are more judged on whether they have won a RWC rather than whether they are advanced thinkers of the game (lateral and outside the box where necessary)

Peter was so crazy he was both inside and outside the box; he was the box.

Meyer talks more sense than all but one of our coaches. But he doesn't have the courage of Jake to stand by his beliefs no matter what. But Michael thinks that Meyer is a fool, despite the fact that the worst EOYT under his tenure was the direct result of Meyer playing his favourites! What tragic irony, but the liar doesn't have the character to recognize it.

 "Peter was so crazy he was both inside and outside the box; he was the box" LOL

 Mike i have to agree the Lions look the best coached outfit in Sa. I only wonder if as Snapster has hinted it could be the good work of others?
Alistair has no clue really and I am glad he is off to Japan.
Ludeke has had the advantage of having the most expensive squad in SA. The bulle have bought and bought and bought until they had too many players! Very parasitic union! However, until recently they have not had a balanced game.
The clinging on to wee matfiled 105 kg (At tops) and the playing of the show boater spiesies indicates he could be under the sway of the senior players. These two decimate the otherwise good Bulle pack.
Ludeke also persists in playing the talented wing JJ at center showing he has little apprecaition for backline play. One also can see how Jan Serfontein has fared under Ludeke. Ja n is a guy with great vision and a superb pass. Where is that today. They tried to turn him into a crashballer!!!Look at Hougaard. A brilliant attacking scrummie  - they tried to turn him into a Fourie Du Preez.
Do the oaks have a clue one wonders!! 
Meyer dropped the ball badly last year and a year was wasted. I fear he lacks the smarts necessary and suspect he will get his RWC selections wrong as well. We shall see.

 Well I must admit Beanhead that Meyer did beat the ABs last year with the help of the Stadium TV Director of course