New Vodacom Bulls coach Johann Ackermann will come face-to-face with his son Ruan for the first time in opposing camps when the Bulls travel to Cape Town early in the new year.
Following eight years playing in the English Premiership where he earned over 170 caps for Gloucester – a team his father had coached – Ruan Ackermann has returned to the country of his birth to bolster the ranks at the Stormers.
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The 29-year-old all-action flank is renowned for his high work-rate and intensity on both sides of the ball, which are set to see him play a crucial role for his new team.
But it will be foreign territory for both father and son who’ve never been in opposite dugouts.
In his first radio interview since taking over the reins in Pretoria, the Bulls mentor told Jacaranda FM’s breakfast show on Wednesday that the north/south derby in the Vodacom URC on 3 January 2026, will be a unique experience.
“Ja, that’s going to be interesting. It’ll be first time I’m coaching against him,” said the Bulls mentor.
“I’ve always either been with him [at the same teams] or I’ve never been there at all like the last five years at Gloucester.”
But regardless of where Ruan plays his rugby, Ackers says he’ll always have immense pride in his son’s achievements.
“I’ve always been very proud of him when he played at the Lions and the way he carved his way at Gloucester, even after I’d left. He played close to 200 games for them and then decided to come back to South Africa and got the opportunity at the Stormers.”
Ackermann says he met with some of the players on the first day on the job on Tuesday and gave his thoughts around team selection.
“One thing that’s the toughest from a coaching perspective is selection. I know I work with players with careers, with dreams and I’ll always try to be fair in that because sometimes it’s small margins between being selected and not selected.”
Photo: Harry Trump/Getty Images
