P ressure mounts on Bulls donkey coach Nollis Marais by Brenden Nel 03 April 2017, 06:42
The pressure continues to mount on Vodacom Bulls coach Nollis Marais after his side’s 28-12 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.
While the Bulls performed much better for 50 odd minutes of the game, their lack of finishing – the Achilles heel of the side this season – came back to haunt them as the Chiefs stormed back in the second half to record a comfortable victory.
The Bulls were also prompted to put out some fires, with a Sunday newspaper reporting they were looking for a New Zealand “consultant” to “help” Marais make the transition to Super Rugby.
However, SuperSport’s information is that while discussions took place with some Kiwi coaches, they were informal and never for the purposes of any employment.
According to those within the team, it was more a case of “information swopping” – in their words – as they used the opportunity while in New Zealand to tap some of the brighter brains in the game.
The truth is, the Bulls simply do not have the cash to afford a Kiwi consultant coach for an entire rugby season. While there was talk of Tony Brown – now the Highlanders coach - joining the team in the off-season for their camp in George as a consultant, that fell through when he had other commitments with Japan on their November tour.
And there is a sense now, with pressure mounting on the side, that there are elements that want to “ratchet up” the pressure on the side given their results.
For instance, meetings with Wayne Smith and Dave Rennie were touted as proof of the new permanent position, when in fact they were normal chats between coaches, according to the Bulls. Rennie is known to have met with the Stormers last year as well, and with the Lions after the sides played each other last year and often swops information with local coaches.
According to the Bulls it “happens quite often that the Blue Bulls Company engage consultants to assist the various coaching staffs and management where requested”.
"We have used various consultants where needed and upon request from our coaching staff. This is nothing new and our head coach and high performance manager have initiated a number of visits by consultants to advise and assist,” CEO Barend van Graan said on Sunday in a statement.
The Bulls said they had used Springbok assistant coaches Johann van Graan and Matthew Proudfoot earlier this season, as well as Proteas cricket captain AB de Villiers, who “chatted about culture in a team environment with our head coach and high performance manager”.
Owen Eastwood, an advisor to the Proteas, chatted to the Vodacom Bulls squad and management about team culture while Smith and Rennie “had information sessions” with the coaching staff.
in addition to this, the Bulls medical team spent a day with their Chiefs counterparts last week, swopping information among the medical professionals.
Still, all this is a storm in a teacup as the Bulls landed in Tokyo for a tricky fixture against the Sunwolves on Saturday. It will be the Bulls' last away fixture in a nightmare run before heading back to Loftus for a string of home games and hopefully some respite for the coaching team.
In the first half the Bulls dominated and played the right game to disrupt the Chiefs attack, and led 9-3 at the break. The problem was, with 60 percent territory and possession, that the Bulls needed to put more points on the board.
And as they did against the Blues, the fade in the last 15 minutes came and hit them hard. As the Chiefs roared and the Bulls whimpered, the game was another lost opportunity for the side.
Marais and his coaching team are certainly under pressure, but should be given credit for the way they responded after the Blues game. Unfortunately at this level, the playing field is hardly forgiving and the 80-minute scoreline counts, with Kiwi teams finishing stronger in the last quarter and the Bulls conditioning simply not adding up.
With one win out of five, the Bulls had a horror start in a horror itinerary and will be longing for the comforts of their home fortress.
But unless they manage some joy this weekend in Tokyo, the pressure they will return home with could already be overwhelming.
