Bulls reshuffle coaches following string of losses

All is not well at Loftus. Fresh off being knocked out of the Heineken Champions Cup this past weekend, the Bulls are running out of fingers to count their losses. The franchise has lost its last four United Rugby Championship matches, as well as all four of its Currie Cup fixtures. 

In fact, the last time the senior Bulls won a match was 14 January.

The changes come after Edgar Marutlulle and Director of Rugby, Jake White met and agreed that the best course of action was to allow Marutlulle to step back and resume his work in Junior rugby.

White will assume head coaching responsibilities of the Currie Cup team whilst assistant coaches, Gert Smal, Hugo van As and Sean Everitt will remain in their current roles until the end of their short-term contracts. Now that the franchise is out of the Champions Cup competition, White's time has been freed up to assume the Currie Cup reigns too.

White commended Marutlulle's willingness to be part of the solution in helping the franchise turn its season around.

"I met with Edgar and he felt that there needed to be action taken, with the union coming first. A perspective that we both share and something I commend him on," said White.

"It was always going to be a challenge for him, coming from the junior ranks but his willingness to continue learning and his commitment to the organisation is exemplified by him taking a step back to return to working with the juniors which he will be starting a new campaign with the under-19s very soon, whilst he helps finish off the under-20s and assist with the under-21s.

"It is important that our coaches continue to feel as though there is a pathway. Sometimes we will get successes and sometimes we must take a step back and be proactive, and as a union we are doing exactly that.

"I will take over, working with the new coaches. We will find a way, in and around the senior coaches, to make sure that we get our campaign back on track."

Marutlulle thanked the organisation for the opportunity to further his skills and welcomed the decision as having the best interests of the organisation at large.

"I am thankful for the opportunity to have been given the privilege of leading this Currie Cup side. As a former player and now coach, I am and will always be a custodian of this great franchise and I believe that this is what is necessary for us to move forward."

BBCo. Chief Executive, Edgar Rathbone reiterated the company's commitment to supporting and equipping Marutlulle with all the necessary skills to see him become a world-class coach.

"This is part of the ongoing review of the current structures we have at Loftus and should not be viewed as an isolated incident," said Rathbone.

"Our long-term plan for Edgar remains unchanged. He has done well with the juniors, earning the trust and reputation of everyone in the sport. We want to see him continue to develop and grow, and part of that process is ensuring that he has all the right support and time to be able to produce the ideal results,.

"He also returns his whole attention to the juniors as they get ready to start a new campaign in the SA Rugby competition ranks, looking to repeat the success they brought our franchise last season once more."