Brendan Venter says Heyneke Meyer should mentor embattled Bulls coach Nollis Marais.
The Bulls have had a nightmare 2017 Super Rugby campaign, losing seven out of 10 matches.
While it appears to be a matter of when, not if, Marais is sacked, Venter says this won’t solve the Bulls’ problems.
‘I believe the answer lies in strengthening his hand until he can walk on his own,’ wrote the Bok defence coach in his latest column for The Times. ‘Marais is only in his second season as a Super Rugby coach and needs to be mentored rather than shown the door.
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‘It’s a magnificent idea to allow Heyneke Meyer to be his mentor. The former Springbok coach has been linked to a turnaround plan devised by the Pretoria-based franchise after suffering seven defeats from 10 starts.
‘The Bulls have a gem in the form of Meyer on their doorstep and it would be ludicrous if they were to miss out on the opportunity of him mentoring Marais for the remainder of the season.
‘If I were Bulls CEO Barend van Graan I would not hesitate to say: “Heyneke, please come and guide us during this process and mentor our young coaching group in order to attain future success.”‘
Meyer coached the Bulls to the Super Rugby title in 2007 and also won the Currie Cup on four occasions.
He was the Bulls director of rugby when they won the 2009 and 2010 Super Rugby titles under head coach Frans Ludeke.
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
