Marais to coach Blue Bulls in Currie Cup

Editor

Bulls boss Nollis Marais has been appointed as the Blue Bulls head coach for this year's Currie Cup competition.

The Blue Bulls Company (BBC) confirmed on Monday that Marais will continue in his head coach capacity at the union and will also take charge of their team that will contest the Currie Cup's Premier Division which kicks off on the weekend of 5/6 August 2016.

The reason for this extension of Marais's duties was to ensure continuity in the playing squad, with almost 90 percent of them part of the Bulls, where Marais was head coach in 2016.

"With almost the whole Bulls squad now available for the Currie Cup competition that is starting soon, the call was made to extend the mandate of Marais, so he will now be coaching the Vodacom Blue Bulls as well," said Bulls chief executive Barend van Graan. 

"It just makes sense for him to continue with the group of players that are developing so nicely under his guidance." 

The position of Hendré Marnitz, who coached the team in the Currie Cup Qualifiers, will be confirmed later in the week once Marais' full management team has been finalised, but van Graan made it clear that he will stay in the BBC coaching structures.

"The call to continue with Nollis in the Currie Cup was made for rugby reasons and is not a reflection on Hendré's abilities," he added.

"The progress and growth shown by the team under Nollis is something we want to expand and grow, hence the decision."

Van Graan dismissed speculation that Marnitz was relieved of his position. 

"We have faith in his abilities as a coach and his continued involved in the structures of the BBC," he explained.

The management of the Blue Bulls team will be confirmed later in the week.