Latest news with #U20Championships
TimesLIVE
22-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Coach Johan Ackermann upbeat about future as he takes over at the Bulls
As he prepares to take over the coaching reins at the Bulls, Johan Ackermann is confident the array of talent at Loftus has what it takes to finally win the United Rugby Championship (URC). The vastly experienced Ackermann is replacing Jake White, who led the Bulls to three URC finals and the knockout stages of the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. 'This team has talent and I believe we can play any style of rugby we want,' said Ackermann, who was part of the coaching staff for the Junior Springboks as they won the U20 Championships in Italy, with their final victory against the Baby Blacks on Saturday. 'We can play the traditional Bulls style and be physical and have good set pieces, but we also have the quality to attack and play all the spaces that the opposition give us. 'My philosophy is to play an exciting and attacking brand of rugby, be positive and score tries. And we have to acknowledge that what the Bulls have been doing must work. Welcome coach 🤝 — Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) July 22, 2025 'They have beaten good sides and reached playoffs. I do feel there were moments where I would probably want to change a few things tactically, and once I get used to players and understand our strengths as a team, I can then bring my own flavour in. 'This has been a quality performing team for the last few years already, so that is a challenge for me — to make sure we keep performing with the quality of this squad.' Coaches of the leading South African franchises have a balancing act to perform ensuring their teams compete well in the URC and Champions Cup. 'There will be the challenge of managing this squad across various competitions, as is the norm for the modern-day coach. There will be the challenge of the always-high expectations on this team,' Ackermann said. 'The expectation is high and it brings a different pressure on this position. You can feel there's not a lot of room for error. But I can only be myself and enjoy this and through that we can keep that standard going.' The coach said he will first look internally to find a winning formula. 'If something is not quite clicking, then I normally look at the team's values. If as a team you've put out certain values at the beginning of the season and one of those is not going well, then it will reflect on the field. 'It's not about chasing the outcome or the result or the position on the log. It's about looking and seeing if there is something small we're not doing as a team. 'Finals are won on such small margins and I've experienced losing finals. It's very difficult to judge the outcome of a final from the outside if you haven't been involved in that week's preparation with the team for the game. 'Then from a tactical point of view, it's about going back to the principles of the game and seeing what we're missing. It's about what we control now — the next training session, the next scrum, the next breakdown.'
The Citizen
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
OPINION: Increased depth in South African athletics is raising the standard
The country has never had so many athletes competing on the international track and field circuit. Middle-distance runner Prudence Sekgodiso is one of four SA athletes among the top five of their events in the Diamond League standings. Picture: Cecilia van Bers/Gallo Images There have been golden periods when South Africa has had more quality at the highest level of international track and field, but athletics in this country is experiencing unprecedented depth. On Tuesday, there were a total of 16 athletes competing at World Athletics Continental Tour meetings in Switzerland and Italy. We also have 70 youth and junior athletes competing this week at the African U18 and U20 Championships, and next week a full national squad will turn out at the World Student Games. On top of this, we've never had so many athletes competing on the top-flight Diamond League circuit. At the Rabat leg of the series earlier this season we had 10 South Africans competing at one meeting. There have been seasons in which we haven't had 10 athletes competing throughout the entire Diamond League campaign. In order to improve the quality at the top and rake in more medals at major global championships, increasing the depth is key. Diamond League performances Already we're seeing the benefits of this, with four South African athletes lying in the top five of their events in the Diamond League standings. Akani Simbine is top of the table in the men's 100m event, Prudence Sekgodiso is in second place in the women's 800m, Jo-Ane du Plessis is lying second in the women's javelin throw, and Zakithi Nene is fifth in the men's 400m. The depth in sprinting has also made a big difference in boosting our relay teams, with the nation showcasing its strength at the World Athletics Relays earlier this year where the SA squad picked up three medals (including two gold). Hopefully some of these athletes and relay teams can carry their form through to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, where they will be gunning for podium places. Group effort The sport is in a good space at the moment, thanks to support from Sascoc (through its Operation Excellence programme) and Athletics South Africa (which has organised multiple relay camps in recent years). Coaches are also playing an important role, with pockets of excellence emerging across the country, while the athletes' agents also deserve credit for getting so many individuals into top-tier and lower-tier international meetings. As long as the depth continues to improve, there will be a rise in quality, and considering the talent we have coming through, things are looking good in the long-term build-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
