New Vodacom Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has some big calls to make.

Ackermann arrives at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday after serving as a consultant for the Junior Springboks, who lifted the World Rugby U20 Championship trophy in Italy on Saturday.

Most importantly, the 55-year-old must decide whether to retain backs coach Chris Rossouw and forwards coach Andries Bekker, both of whom are still contracted by the Bulls.

The duo reportedly clashed with former director of rugby Jake White, which contributed to his departure earlier this month.

According to Rapport, Ackermann can keep them in their current roles, redeploy them within the Bulls structures, or request that CEO Edgar Rathbone negotiate a buyout of their contracts.

He will also need to review the rest of the URC management team, including assistant coaches Werner Kruger, Jean Tiedt, Kennedy Tsimba and Phiwe Nomlomo, as well as key support staff across medical, technical and logistical departments.

SERFONTEIN: Easy call to rejoin Bulls

While Ackermann’s job title is “head coach” rather than “director of rugby”, the Bulls have confirmed that he has the same authority as White did. That includes overseeing all professional and junior structures at Loftus.

“There’s no difference in responsibility,” Rathbone told Rapport. “It’s just a different title.”

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