Johan Ackermann‘s son Ruan plays for the Stormers. His father coaches the Bulls. When the two sides met in Cape Town in January, his mother did not see the second half.
“Mom was, she only lasted till halftime, and then she ended up leaving the stadium because she couldn’t, she couldn’t handle the pressure and stuff,” Ruan told Ben Youngs and Dan Cole on the For The Love Of Rugby: South Africa podcast, released on Thursday 15 October.
The Bulls had lost five in a row. Eleven days before kick-off they had sacked two of Johan’s assistants, Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw. His son was in the other shirt.
He also remembers the day he knew he had grown up. It had nothing to do with the derby.
Which side would you have sat on? Have your say in the comments.
“You’re in for a big surprise”
Johan Ackermann coached his son at the Lions and then at Gloucester, before leaving for Japan while Ruan stayed in England. After 172 appearances for Gloucester, Ruan had already signed for Cape Town when the surprise came.
“And then I signed [for] the Stormers, and there was no chat of him being a Bulls coach or anything. And then my mom said, you’re in for a big surprise. And then that got announced.”
The Stormers announced his signing on 24 June 2025. The Bulls named Johan Ackermann head coach, with immediate effect, on 16 July, three weeks later.
He had always wanted to play in Cape Town. The Stormers were his second team growing up, Ruan said, and Jean de Villiers was one of his favourite players.
The family drifted to the Bulls
The first derby came on Saturday 3 January at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town. His brother and sister arrived early for the holidays.
As the week went on, Ruan felt the sympathy move.
“So I could feel between the family, there’s a bit more support going to that side, to the Bulls, because they’re under pressure, and that’s getting a lot of heat,” he said.
So he went full Michael Jordan, the “and I took that personally” line from The Last Dance.
“I think it was the Michael Jordan when he’s like, and I took that personally. I was like, listen, you guys are welcome in the house, but just keep it a little bit, like, not too on his side.”
The message Johan Ackermann sent his son before the derby
Father and son were fine. After the captain’s run the day before, Johan sent him a message.
“And you need to play, and you need to play well, and you need to try and win,” Ruan said.
“Between us, it was fine. It was more the family,” he added.
Ruan started in the No 6 shirt and went off for Paul de Villiers on 46 minutes. By then his mother had already gone.
“But I think as it will go on, we’ll get more comfortable with it,” Ruan said of the family.
The Stormers won 13-8. Handré Pollard scored all eight Bulls points, and a late try from Ntuthuko Mchunu won it for the home side.
Within a week Ruan was out with a neck injury that kept him off the field until the play-offs, so he missed the return derby at Loftus in March.
The day the questions changed direction
Having a coach at home was a shortcut, and Ruan took it.
“When I was young, I asked him… I was in the fortunate position of having someone, not just as your coach, but also someone that will give you the straight answer.”
That is handy at training and less handy on a Sunday, so his mother set a rule.
“I think my mom was the one that said, listen, after the game, Sundays, like those sort of stuff, let’s keep it family, let’s not talk about the game and stuff,” Ruan said.
These days his father asks him.
“The only time I felt like I was getting older was when he started asking me… how do you feel has the game changed over the last two, three years? And then I realized I’m getting older… and he’s starting to ask me questions, and not the other way around.”
The Bulls coach asks the Stormers player about travel
With both of them back in the United Rugby Championship, Johan asks his son about the travel. “How am I finding away games, what do you think is best prepared for this and that?” Ruan said.
A Bulls head coach asking a Stormers back-rower how to prepare for away games is a strange kind of scouting.
The two sides meet again this season, and Ruan has not said whether his mother will stay for the second half.
Your turn: which side would you sit on?
Ruan told his family they were welcome in his house, just “not too on his side”. His mother found a third option and left at half-time.
Has a derby ever split your family? Tell the story below.
Ruan’s full interview is on the For The Love Of Rugby: South Africa channel.
Johan Ackermann’s son: the quick answers
Is Ruan Ackermann Johan Ackermann’s son?
Yes. Ruan Ackermann plays for the Stormers. His father, Johan Ackermann, has been the Bulls head coach since July 2025 and coached Ruan at the Lions and Gloucester.
When did Johan Ackermann become Bulls coach?
The Bulls appointed him with immediate effect on 16 July 2025, three weeks after the Stormers announced Ruan’s signing.
Who won the first Ackermann derby?
The Stormers beat the Bulls 13-8 at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 3 January 2026. Ruan started at 6 and went off for Paul de Villiers on 46 minutes.
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