'It's bizarre, really bad management from a CEO perspective': Rugby Pod points finger of blame after Ackermann exit
Johan Ackermann’s surprise exit from Gloucester for a job in the Japanese Top League has left The Rugby Pod asking serious questions of Gloucester CEO Lance Bradley, who only took over last year from Stephen Vaughan, current boss at Premiership rivals Wasps. Gloucester admitted last Friday that the South African was off to take up a new role at Red Hurricanes in July.
This was despite Ackermann having signed a contract extension at the Kingsholm club just last May after he guided them into the Gallagher Premiership semi-finals.
At that time, David Humphreys, the club’s director of rugby, enthused: “Johan’s contribution over the past two seasons has been terrific. We knew when we first approached him about the head coach role here at Gloucester that we had targeted the right man – and he has fully validated that decision.”
Twelve months later, though, there has been a curious parting of the ways, the 49-year-old believing his future is now best served in the Far East rather than continuing at the English club he joined from the Super Rugby Lions in 2017.
It’s an exit that doesn’t sit right with Andy Goode, who used the latest episode of The Rugby Pod to claim that Ackermann was forced out by alleged manoeuvrings behind his back that involved CEO Bradley.
“From the outside, when you hear the news and when you find out what has gone on everyone will be surprised,” said Goode, the ex-England out-half. “When you don’t know the intricate details of the club and look into it, you are very shocked because he is such a good guy. He’s always smiling, has always got a smile on his face.
“The rumours you are hearing around the club is everyone wants to play for him, everyone wants to work for him, he is a really nice guy, kind. He let all the (overseas) guys leave to go back to their families when the pandemic kicked in so they could self-isolate and not be in lockdown in a country separate from their families.
“I started looking into it. I thought this is weird, it doesn’t sit right me with me why he has left and why he has left now as well when the season could come back. You start looking into some changes. Last year, they get into the play-offs, Stephen Vaughan was the CEO, they changed CEO over the summer, Lance Bradley comes in which for me was a bit of a change and a bit of a surprise because why do you change a CEO when you have just started to have some really good impacts?
“You have made some really quality changes around your squad, around your coaching department and you have got stability in Johan Ackermann. You change the CEO and I started doing my research into that. Lance Bradley, from what I hear, acts more like a super fan than a CEO. I mean, from the rumours that I am hearing around the club, in the changing rooms trying to be best mates with the players. And then you dig a little bit deeper and you sit there and start finding out why has this happened to Ackermann.
“You start hearing they brought in Rory Teague, (Danny) Cipriani, some of the issues that he has had around selection, non-selection, what’s happening. Then you start hearing rumours and whispers. I heard there was a bit of a coup around players and coaches not being aligned and very few of them not being aligned but going to Bradley and saying right we need to make changes… I don’t think it’s the last change we are going to see at the club either.
“Gloucester were on a fantastic pathway with David Humphreys as your director off rugby, Johan Ackermann as your head coach, they had a squad that was ever-improving, they got to the playoffs last year.
“Okay, this year they are sat in ninth but you only need to win a couple of games and you’re up to fourth again. I don’t read too much into this year. What I do read a lot into is the changes that have been made, Lance Bradley changing things at the club, and then there potentially being a bit of a coup to go behind Ackermann’s back by a player, by a coach, by someone.
“Johan has got wind of this and said, ‘Right, if that is the way I am going to be treated, that is what is happening behind my back, can I go and speak to other clubs? Do I see a future here at Gloucester? Well, no I don’t.’
“I don’t think it’s the last change we’re going to see at the club”
It’s not all it seems at Gloucester as Big Jim and Goodey dig deep to reveal the reasons behind Johan Ackermann and his departure from Kingsholm 👀https://t.co/uiiNNlFRW5@AndyGoode10 @jimhamilton4
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) May 19, 2020
“That is what happened. He went to speak to other clubs and he got a fantastic offer to go and coach in Japan. It’s bizarre, really bizarre, and really bad management from a CEO perspective. I just do not understand how you can ever build stability when that is the way you act around a club. This is what I’m being told by sources as to what has happened. It’s very messy. I’m just being honest from what I hear.”
Ex-Gloucester skipper Jim Hamilton, Goode’s podcast co-star, was perturbed by the revelations. “I’m gutted and surprised. I did not see that coming at all. Gloucester haven’t played well this season… but this Premiership was a slightly strange one. I don’t think Cipriani was playing as well as he was last year and they have got a few guys in their team who would have been away at the World Cup as well.
“I’m absolutely gutted as a Gloucester fan, and I was captain there. They have been a club that have had so many different changes along the way and I’m trying to work out what has gone on here, why Johan Ackermann would leave to go to Japan when the job isn’t even half done.
“If he went to South Africa and took the job under Rassie Erasmus I would be like that is where I see you going, but the Gallagher Premiership have lost a really good rugby man. I know the lads at Gloucester absolutely loved working for him and the staff as well. Just a warm guy.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments