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Bulls legend Morne Steyn breaks silence on new job at the Lions
By Rugby365
Bulls legend Morne Steyn has broken silence on his surprise switch to the rival Lions ahead of the new 2023/24 URC season. The darling of Loftus Versfeld, who was capped 68 times for the Springboks and amassed over 700 Test points, spent more than 14 years at the Bulls franchise.
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However, after playing his last match in June before retirement, he has exited Pretoria and crossed the Jukskei river to join their Johannesburg franchise.
Speaking to media about his new kicking consultant role, Steyn explained that he would have loved to stay with the Bulls, but it ultimately wasn’t an option. “I spoke to the Bulls and was supposed to start in August with the juniors, because the senior team do not want me as a kicking consultant or coach.
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“And behind the scenes, I heard Jake (White, Bulls director of rugby) didn’t want me there anymore. He had other plans. The Bulls haven’t had a kicking coach since Vlok Cillier left, so it is a new thing.
“Maybe in the next year or two, Jake will look at it, but at the moment I don’t think he wants a kicking consultant or coach there. (Bulls assistant coach) Chris Rossouw is at Loftus, so he is doing a lot of the kicking game and is helping some of the guys.”
Steyn emphasised there was no bad blood between him and the Bulls and reiterated that a future consultant opportunity might open up. Two weeks into his two-year contract at the Lions, he continued: “With me being a consultant, I come in three times a week during pre-season and then two times a week during the regular season.
“It is all about getting the guys on the training field, putting the work in every day and helping them with new drills and things they are not used to. Guys like (Lions assistant coaches) Jacques Fourie and Ricardo Laubscher will cover the coaching aspect and I will sit in with them and give my opinions.
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“It’s not like I’m just going to teach them to kick and leave, I will play a part in the whole kicking game. I signed a two-year deal so as the years go, I will see how my role will change.”
Steyn will attend match days in Johannesburg but will not tour with the Lions who open their new URC campaign at home to the Stormers on October 21.
One of my favourite players. Kicked the ball beautifully, and possessed 'nerves of steel': see the Third Test against the British Lions in 2007 [I think]. Pienaar struggled, and in a tight contest, the Springboks struggled; but not Morne Steyn. Fast forward to 2021. Same teams, same result. A Morne Steyn 'masterclass'.
We should not be surprised about the comment from Morne. Jake and Eddie are the worlds leading rugby coaching capitalists, mostly moving on before too much muck sticks to them. They talk too much, and their results and inputs don’t match their words. Time for both the zip it and get their sides to perform. Morne will be a proper asset to the Lions alongside and ambitious group.