Johan Ackermann, the favourite to replace Jake White as Vodacom Bulls head coach, has received another offer.
According to Rapport, the former Lions coach received a contract extension offer from SA Rugby to continue his work with the Junior Springboks before news broke about White’s situation at the Bulls.
White is expected to leave his role – despite having taken the Bulls to three Vodacom URC finals in four seasons and being contracted until 2027 – following reported discontent among senior players and assistant coaches Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw over White’s leadership.
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Rapport says the Bulls are expected to confirm White’s departure within the next two weeks.
Ackermann joined the Junior Boks as a forwards consultant in January on a six-month deal which was extended by a month to include the World Rugby U20 Championship that starts on Sunday.
The 55-year-old had emerged as a leading candidate for the Loftus job due to his strong relationship with Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone (who he worked with at the Lions) and president Willem Strauss.
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However, two other big names are also in the mix.
Franco Smith, who guided the Glasgow Warriors to the 2024-25 URC title, is under contract until 2026 but is reportedly frustrated by budget constraints and foreign player rules in Scotland.
Johann van Graan, fresh off a historic treble with Bath – winning the EPCR Challenge Cup, English Premiership and Premiership Cup – has a contract until 2030 but is believed to still harbour ambitions of coaching the Bulls and eventually the Springboks.
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