BULLS coach Johan Ackermann.
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Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has squashed speculation from some quarters that there has been a minor exodus of senior players because of unhappiness.
He explained in a press conference ahead of his team’s URC match against the Dragons on Friday night that Wilco Louw, David Kriel, and Ruan Nortje are leaving because of the natural evolution of a rugby team.
He said that players come and go as they reach certain points in their careers.
“I knew when I came in that those players would move on and that it would make no difference if we could change the culture of the team or their circumstances. They had made decisions based on their long-term careers,” Ackermann explained.
“Some players need change. It is life. Wilco made no secret of the fact that it made no difference what we offered him; he wanted to go back to the family farm (in the Cape) and be closer to his family.
“I could go on with everyone’s reasons, but sometimes it feels to me that people want to find reasons for player unhappiness in the camp when, in truth, it is nothing of the sort.
“These decisions were already happening before my time here, and any team that has been together for four or five years, and has been so successful, will have a few players move on.”
Ackermann says player movement is a fact of rugby life.
“We must just adapt and handle it. They are big, very experienced names and can turn a game on its head in their own right.
“But the reality is that we’ve got young talent that we need to develop into new stars.
“That is the good thing about rugby. We must now wait for some guys to put up their hands.
“Hopefully, we will get more guys who will stay longer. Guys like Marco van Staden and Mpilo Gumede (who have announced contract extensions). We still have a nice senior group, but we need new players to take on the leadership (of the players leaving).”