Johan Ackermann (Getty Images)
- Despite lacking in prestige, Johan Ackermann believes his move to Japan from England will enable him to still grow as a coach.
- “Certain circumstances” hastened his departure from Gloucester, but Ackermann is still grateful for the experiences at Kingsholm Stadium.
- Japan’s Top League is not exactly inferior, given the proliferation of fine coaches and the abundance of overseas players.
When an out-and-out rugby man like Johan Ackermann says “one always dreams”, casual observers will ask why a man with obvious ambitions to mentor a national team someday leaves Gloucester for NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes.
Whether people like it or not, coaching in the English Premiership sounds a lot sexier than Japan’s Top League.
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It’s a question the former Springbok lock and legendary Lions coach can answer with ease: He’s not necessarily going to Osaka to eventually coach the green-and-gold.
“You’ll always harbour the hope that you can coach at international level,” Ackermann told Sport24.
“But I can’t say that my move to Japan was based solely on it. I’m very grateful for the exposure that Gloucester afforded me, one could be safe in the knowledge that you were coaching at a very high level. In the end, I’m going to Docomo because it’s important to live out your life. I want to make a difference in other people’s lives, experience different cultures.
“That said, I believe the level of competitiveness in Japanese rugby is more than high enough to help equip one for when a door at a national team opens.”
Given how his graph at Kingsholm Stadium kept going upwards since moving to the UK in mid-2017, Ackermann’s abrupt departure in May was initially highly surprising.
Subsequent events, though, shed light on a club rife with internal strife, eventually leading to Ackermann’s line manager, director of rugby David Humphreys, also calling it quits.
While the 50-year-old admits to “certain circumstances” playing a role in his decision to explore another gig, his 30 months in Gloucester were nonetheless memorable for various reasons.
Specifically, Ackermann is visibly proud of all the “firsts in a long time” that occurred during his tenure.
“There were a whole host of them. Last year, we won away at Exeter for the first time in ages, the same with Harlequins, Northampton, Newcastle and Sale. We really did experience a lot of success playing away from home,” he said.
“There was the massively significant away win in Connacht, which secured us a spot in the Challenge Cup final. We reached the Premiership playoffs for the first time in eight years. More importantly, I was really proud of the rugby we played. It was great, we scored lots of tries and topped various statistics.”
Perhaps more significantly is the fact that Ackermann could free himself of the perception that he couldn’t replicate his success at the Lions because he would have to deal with a far less homogenous team culture.
It’s no secret that the men from Ellis Park’s recruitment strategy was predicated heavily on approaching players with shared personal values.
He didn’t have that luxury at Gloucester.
“I really grew as a coach there because you continuously had to deal with players of differing backgrounds, cultures and playing styles. I won’t lie, it was also interesting to constantly have to coach in English,” said Ackermann.
“The challenge is that you still want that variety of personalities to come together under your philosophy for the team. It was immensely satisfying to see how players who came out of a conservative coaching environment could express themselves, or learnt skills they simply didn’t possess when they arrived. It’s wonderful when those things come together.”
Now he’s off to an assignment similar in nature to his rebuilding efforts at Ellis Park and Kingsholm.
Docomo are not exactly heavyweights in the Land of the Rising Sun, but clearly believe Ackermann fits the bill for their loftier ambitions.
After all, this was the same franchise that courted him after 2015’s Currie Cup victory, an approach that he rejected on the basis that he wasn’t remotely experienced enough to commence such a mission.
But, after doing a healthy dose of homework on Japanese rugby and being impressed by its steady rise following last year’s World Cup, Ackermann is now primed.
“It’s a huge but fun challenge. You’ve got your work cut out at Docomo, especially because they are traditionally strugglers. That’s why I became a coach,” he said.
“I can always learn. I talked to a lot of people, who were just full of praise for the country. We’re all very aware of their progress. I believe people underestimate how strong the coaching in Japan is. It started with Jamie Joseph and Co at the national team and there are very good coaches at club level too – guys like Hugh Reece-Edwards, Frans Ludeke, Robbie Deans and Todd Blackadder.
“Add to that the influence of the overseas players and I really believe you operate in a very competitive environment.”
