Serious conversations are being had.
That’s the word out of Loftus Versfeld as the Vodacom Bulls deal with the aftermath of their Bristol Bears horror show on Saturday, and their impending exit from the Investec Champions Cup.
Things are dire at the Kirkness Street “fortress” right now. The Bristol Bears’ nine-try demolition was the highest points tally an opposition put on at Loftus in the modern era. It surpassed the dark days of Super Rugby when Heyneke Meyer’s side couldn’t win a game, and was arguably the worst defensive performance of the modern era.
And still, given the weird workings of the European Cup competition, the Bulls can technically still qualify for the playoffs should they win away in Pau this weekend.
But right now, that is the furthest thing from the mind of Bulls management and players as the losing streak swept to seven games, and the word crisis is being bandied about by supporters.
This isn’t crisis mode just yet, according to those at Loftus. Well, if not now, when will it be? There are serious problems that need addressing and lumping it all on one coach may not be the answer.
NAIVE APPROACH
Johan Ackermann may have been naive in heading to the capital and thinking he could simply take a side that had made it to three URC finals and impose a more attacking style that would pay dividends.
It may have also been naive for the Board and CEO to think that the same blueprint that worked when Ackermann took the Lions after the fallout over John Mitchell would work again. That time, Ackermann took the side to two Super Rugby finals, and his sidekick, Swys de Bruin, to a third. But they never won a final. Lions fans will remember that well.
Jake White may have lost the changeroom, and by all accounts, his people skills were horrible. Privately, many who worked with him have shared stories that defy belief in a modern working environment, but White got results.
There is a school of thought that says it takes five years at least to build a championship team. Considering this is season five of the URC and White had taken them to three finals, it is not untoward to think the Bulls were so close at the end of last season.
The player revolt - 12 players who met with CEO Edgar Rathbone and demanded change or they would leave - have a lot to answer for.
DECISIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
White’s management style may have been questionable, but every decision has consequences, and with him gone - and firing assistant coaches Andries Bekker and Chris Rossouw before Christmas as well - those players seem to have got their way, but the Bulls brand has fallen apart in the process.
Coaches - as Ackermann will tell you - cannot coach on the field. They prepare a side and a game plan, and players must execute. Anyone watching the Bulls over the past seven weeks would wonder if the commitment existed, the hunger was there, or if these same players - given the freedom Ackermann has given them - have not overplayed their hand.
Before December, the excuse was that the Boks hadn’t trained with the Bulls. But on Saturday, the Bulls had 10 Boks in their ranks - seven in the pack. They never even attempted to gain physical dominance. They were on the back foot from the second minute and never recovered. Instead, they played a game plan away from their strengths and were sapped by the time Bristol had run in their seventh try before halftime.
There may be a tendency to blame the defensive coach, Jean Tiedt, but the reality is he was the same defensive coach who took them to last season’s final. A defensive system is as effective as the passionate execution of it. On Saturday, there wasn’t that commitment, nor the belief in the system, to get them close to victory.
MOST POINTS EVER AT LOFTUS
The magnitude of the 61 points shipped against the Bulls needs to set in. Before the professional era, this would have been a disaster. It would have seen boards summon emergency meetings and statements of apology being put out to fans.
This time, it is treated with a shrug, and Bulls fans are expected to move on. Ackermann is safe for now - there definitely isn’t talk of regime change just yet in the corridors of Loftus - but the crisis is very much front and centre.
Conceding 46 points against Bordeaux, 50 against Northampton and now 61 against Bristol has been met with silence from the Bulls all around. And all there is to digest is Ackermann talking about how his belief system will get him through.
That is all good and well, but at some point, the players need to take responsibility as well. Currently, the squad looks as if it is caught between two worlds. The attacking game cannot come at the expense of defence.
BOK MANAGEMENT CAN'T CHANGE THINGS IN ONE SESSION
Nor can the problems be sorted out by a helicopter training session from the Springbok management. While it is great that the Boks have seconded their coaches to help, the reality is that Felix Jones can’t solve the problems with one training session.
And while much noise has been made about their help, that is as much as it has come to. Jones was at one training session. These are problems the Bulls need to sort out themselves.
So where do the Bulls go from here? The next fortnight sees an away trip that will get them away from Loftus and away from the noise, but very much into a mentality where only they can sort out the problems from within.
That can be a good or a bad thing. Should there be some resolve, should those same players who rebelled against White get their act together and lead the team forward, things could change. The tour could turn out to be a turning point. The siege mentality could suit them, and slowly, things could get better.
But the opposite is also true. Should the Bulls continue the same way as the last seven weeks, the bickering will be more, and the unhappiness will be a cloud over the side as they move through Europe.
Returning home with nine losses on the trot, a failed Champions Cup campaign, and a mountain to climb in the URC could turn out to be fatal. And a lot more questions will be asked.
Ackermann will continue to back his faith and believe that these are the valleys he needs to walk through before things come right. The supporters may not be so sure.
But one thing is certain. The same players who stood up to White are the ones who can lead the team out of the wilderness. What happens next is very much up to them.