De Bruin father and son combo hope to breathe some life into Bulls before Stormers derby

The Bulls will benefit from the knowledge of not one but two De Bruins this week as they prepare for their big north-south derby with the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday (6pm).

It has emerged that Neil de Bruin is to replace sacked attack coach Chris Rossouw, while his famous father, Swys — the current Bok Women and former Bok assistant coach — is to help out his old mate Johan Ackermann, the Bulls’ head coach.

De Bruin Junior impressed Ackermann when they worked together at the Docomo Red Hurricanes and Urayasu D-Rocks in Japan, and Swys and Ackermann were a successful partnership during the period when the Lions were South Africa’s leading Super Rugby team.

It is understood that Swys is to lend Ackermann an advisory ear for a short period. Ackermann, a fierce lock in his days with the Springboks and Sharks, is to personally coach the Bulls forwards.

Additionally, the Springboks’ Mobi-Unit is heading for Pretoria after a request for help from the Bulls. Bok great Duane Vermeulen, Bok assistant coaches Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery, and Bok conditioning coach Andy Edwards are to help out Ackermann.

Neil de Bruin, meanwhile, says he is in the starting blocks for his new role at Loftus Versfeld.

“This is not the first time Ackers and I have joined forces,” De Bruin told Rapport. “Ackers and I have come a long way together. He offered me a massive opportunity in Japan, so much so that I had already said ‘yes’ before he could finish the question. That’s how highly I regard Ackers, both as a person and as a coach.

“Apart from rugby, he and I also share a spiritual bond. As a coach, Ackers understands the game very well and, more importantly, he knows how to work with players. That’s why I resonate with him. I absolutely believe in his principles of teamwork and culture building.

“That’s how Ackers and I work. (Bulls' defence coach) Jean Tiedt and I also worked together at the NWU before, so it should be a seamless transition.”

De Bruin has resigned from his position as director of rugby at Paarl Boys’ High.

“I’ve often been lying awake about this for the past 48 hours,” he laughed. “My way of doing things is first to understand how a team like the Bulls functions.

"You can study as much video material as you want, and I’ve already picked up a few things that require attention. However, my starting point is always: understand before you demand.

“The Bulls are an ultra-successful team with exceptional qualities, as evidenced by the URC finals they have reached in the past few seasons. The adjustments that need to be made are therefore not massive. It is about building on and highlighting their strengths, and I would like to put a positive spin on them.”