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URC side on verge of SOS call to Johan Ackermann
By Neil Fissler
The Stormers are considering making an emergency save our season call to Johan Ackermann to help beleaguered boss John Dobson after slipping to a third defeat in five games this season.
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Saturday afternoon’s 28-17 defeat to Glasgow Warriors has left them looking over their shoulders towards the bottom of the United Rugby Championship table and could ask the former Gloucester and Red Hurricanes coach to help out.
Dobson’s side are now just three points and three places ahead of Zebre, who are propping up the table as they head into a four-week international break, and one of the longest-serving bosses in South Africa says they are up against it now.
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“We are up against it now. Today would have been important for the log and our morale going into the break. We know we aren’t the biggest chequebook team in the league. But we pride ourselves on exceeding the sum of our parts.”
The Cape Town outfit are weighing up getting in some help for underfire Dobson for when they return to action for the coastal derby against the Sharks in Durban on 30 November, and Ackermann is one of the names they are looking at.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
6
6
0
0
29
2
Glasgow
6
4
2
0
23
3
Bulls
5
4
1
0
19
4
Lions
5
4
1
0
18
5
Connacht
6
3
3
0
18
6
Scarlets
6
3
2
1
16
7
Ulster
6
3
3
0
16
8
Cardiff Rugby
6
3
3
0
16
9
Sharks
5
3
2
0
15
10
Edinburgh
6
2
4
0
13
11
Benetton
6
2
3
1
13
12
Munster
6
2
4
0
12
13
Stormers
5
2
3
0
10
14
Ospreys
6
2
4
0
10
15
Dragons RFC
6
1
5
0
7
16
Zebre
6
1
5
0
7
Ackermann, who is currently consulting and mentoring at Japan League One outfit Urayasu D-Rocks, has taken a step back from day-to-day involvement in coaching at the end of last season.
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Former Springbok lock Ackermann, 54, last worked in his homeland with the Lions in 2017 but told the podcast To the Last Drop in August that he misses working in South Africa and with South African players.
The 2014 SARU Coach of the Year award winner, one of the highest-profile, highly-rated South African coaches, is in the final year of his contract in Japan and has been looking at his options in Japan, South Africa and Europe.
The life of a coach is precarious.
A season of wins and success you are a hero.
A few losses you are a zero.
In contrast Jack White won the World Cup and was fired!
Why is RP publishing false clickbait journalism. Stormers have denied this already.
All we need is the truth, not false info.
Let Dobson do the DOR role and allow Ackermann to come in as Head Coach and revitalise this group. The rugby the Lions played under Ackermann was just superb. We need a proper authority figure.
I'd love to see him back in SA. He isn't an assistant though. He is a head coach and giving him anything less is a waste of time. John Dobson have done well with the Stormers. He is a very good coach. Currently it looks like everyone in the team plays alone by themselves as if they are competing for a Bok jersey, instead of playing like a team. With their potential and the players they have, they are performing far under par. Dobson isn't imaginative enough. Not strict enough. Johan Ackermann should be given the head coach role if they can get him. I respect Dobbo, but he really needs to shake the team up.
Agree with all. Great team but struggle to live up to expectations. Need something new to rediscover form
They look like the old possible vs probables trial games where everyone is given their team and off you go and do some line outs and backline moves.
My views in Dobson is that the last few years he had good players and the players made the Stormers in terms of Game Knowledge, currently he have great players but he has a lack of good Coaching Skills himself,therefore these current great players are not coached well and forced to play a gameplan that does not work for anybody, but forced down by Dobson. What a pity, my views are he must be taken out completely, then a new Coach must be brough in with Vision in terms of players , skills and great Rugby knowledge.
Stormers playing silly Super Rugby against NH teams, so much quality in their back pocket but sticking to touch rugby shows unbelievable naivety. I think Ackerman would be a good shout but he’d have to be loudest voice and I’m not sure how well that will work with Dobson…
Dobson probably wants him to be the loudest voice, so he can focus more on director of rugby tasks. The union needs that behind the scene leadership now for the future.
Good move. Not sure what’s going on at the Stormers.
Not much to be fair, and that's the crux of the problem.