Johan Ackermann

ROLE Head Coach

TEAM Vodacom Bulls

IN CHARGE SINCE Jul 2025

AGE 56

NATIONALITY South African

MATCHES 41

Johan Ackermann is the head coach of the Bulls, appointed in July 2025 to replace Jake White, and a former Springbok who became South African rugby’s most celebrated rebuilder.

AS A PLAYER Lock. Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Northampton Saints, Griquas and the Sharks. 13 Springbok caps between 1996 and 2007, and in 2007 he became the oldest man ever to play for South Africa at 37.

Tenure record

as of 28 Aug 2026

41PLAYED

18WON

0DRAWN

23LOST

43.9%WIN RATE

1179 points scored · 1262 conceded · -83 difference

RECENT LHollywoodbets Sharks22–53 LDHL Stormers XXIII26–50 LToyota Cheetahs52–62 LNew Zealand19–50 LAirlink Pumas31–33 LFidelity ADT Lions19–42

By competition

United Rugby Championship 21P · 14W · 0D · 7L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Leinster Rugby 19 Jun 2026 A 7–36 L Glasgow Warriors 6 Jun 2026 A 22–21 W Munster 30 May 2026 H 45–14 W Benetton Treviso 16 May 2026 H 45–19 W Zebre Rugby 9 May 2026 H 54–19 W Scarlets 25 Apr 2026 A 23–21 W Dragons 17 Apr 2026 A 47–7 W Munster 28 Mar 2026 H 34–31 W Cardiff Rugby 20 Mar 2026 H 40–7 W Stormers 14 Mar 2026 H 19–32 L Sharks 28 Feb 2026 H 41–12 W Fidelity ADT Lions 31 Jan 2026 A 52–17 W Edinburgh Rugby 23 Jan 2026 A 19–17 W Stormers 3 Jan 2026 A 8–13 L Sharks 20 Dec 2025 A 12–21 L Fidelity ADT Lions 29 Nov 2025 H 33–43 L Glasgow Warriors 24 Oct 2025 A 12–21 L Connacht Rugby 17 Oct 2025 A 28–27 W Ulster Rugby 11 Oct 2025 A 7–28 L Leinster Rugby 4 Oct 2025 H 39–31 W Ospreys 27 Sep 2025 H 53–40 W

Currie Cup 14P · 3W · 0D · 11L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Hollywoodbets Sharks 28 Aug 2026 A 22–53 L DHL Stormers XXIII 21 Aug 2026 H 26–50 L Toyota Cheetahs 16 Aug 2026 H 52–62 L Airlink Pumas 8 Aug 2026 H 31–33 L Fidelity ADT Lions 1 Aug 2026 A 19–42 L Suzuki Griquas 25 Jul 2026 A 26–56 L Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 19 Jul 2026 A 10–24 L Toyota Cheetahs 6 Sep 2025 H 35–31 W Fidelity ADT Lions 30 Aug 2025 A 5–44 L Suzuki Griquas 24 Aug 2025 H 21–42 L Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 17 Aug 2025 A 20–28 L Airlink Pumas 9 Aug 2025 H 7–41 L Hollywoodbets Sharks 2 Aug 2025 H 64–0 W DHL Stormers XXIII 26 Jul 2025 A 48–23 W

Champions Cup 5P · 1W · 0D · 4L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Glasgow Warriors 4 Apr 2026 A 21–25 L Section Paloise 16 Jan 2026 A 26–24 W Bristol Bears 10 Jan 2026 H 49–61 L Northampton Saints 14 Dec 2025 A 5–50 L Union Bordeaux Bègles 6 Dec 2025 H 33–46 L

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 1P · 0W · 0D · 1L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

New Zealand 15 Aug 2026 H 19–50 L

DATA NOTES

Johan Ackermann has overseen 41 completed Vodacom Bulls matches in our database since July 2025 — 18 won, 0 drawn, 23 lost. That is a 43.9% win rate, with 1179 points scored and 1262 conceded.

Records are computed from the WeTalkRugby match database and cover matches we hold data for within this tenure. They are not an official all-time record.

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Coaching career

2013-2017 Lions Head Coach
2017-2020 Gloucester Rugby Head Coach
2025- Vodacom Bulls Head Coach

Honours

2015 Currie Cup (Golden Lions)

Players under Johan Ackermann

Full squad →

Akker van der Merwe Forward

Aphiwe Dyanthi Back

Alulutho Tshakweni Forward

Canan Moodie Back

Cameron Hanekom Forward

Devon Frank Williams Back Etienne Janeke Forward

Embrose Papier Back

About Johan Ackermann

Johan Ackermann is the head coach of the Vodacom Bulls, appointed in July 2025 with immediate effect after Jake White left by mutual agreement. He took the side to the URC final in his first full season.

Born in June 1970, he was a lock for the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Northampton Saints, Griquas and the Sharks, winning 13 Springbok caps across an unusually long span. In 2007, aged 37, he became the oldest man ever to play for South Africa.

The Lions rebuild

Ackermann began as Lions forwards coach under John Mitchell and took over as head coach in 2013, inheriting a franchise that had been expelled from Super Rugby. What followed made his name: an unbeaten Currie Cup season in 2015 and Super Rugby finals in 2016 and 2017, with South African Coach of the Year awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

He moved to Gloucester from 2017 to 2020, reaching the 2018 European Challenge Cup final, then coached in Japan with the NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes and Urayasu D-Rocks before returning home.

Style

He is a man-manager and culture-builder first, with a particular reputation for developing young forwards. His sides play at high tempo and offload aggressively, but the platform is always a dominant set piece.