Johannes Nicolaas 'Johan' Ackermann (born 3 June 1970) is a South African professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
coach and former player. He played as a
lock during his playing career between 1995 and 2007. He is currently the head coach at
Red Hurricanes.
Playing career
In 2007, Johan Ackermann became the oldest Springbok to play for the national side, at the age of 37. After the 2007 World Cup in France, he was recalled to the Springbok squad to play against the Barbarians. This was his last outing as an international player.
Ackermann bowed out of professional rugby on a winning note on 1 March 2008, when the Sharks defeated the
Bulls
Bulls may refer to:
*The plural of bull, an adult male bovine
*Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District
Sports
*Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding
*Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...
29-15 at
Loftus Versfeld. He became the oldest player ever in Super Rugby history at age .
Coaching career
Ackermann was the forwards coach of the Lions in Super Rugby under head coach,
John Mitchell but after Mitchell left the Union, he took over. He has seen huge success as coach of the Union including winning the SARU Coach of the Year award in 2014, his first year as head coach. He took over as head coach of the
Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
and the
Golden Lions
The Golden Lions (currently known as the Sigma Golden Lions for sponsorship reasons) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Johannesburg who compete in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge. The team is governed by the ...
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
sides in 2013.
He was appointed as the head coach of English Premiership side
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
prior to the 2017–18 season.
He left Gloucester at the end of June 2020 to become head coach at Japanese side
Red Hurricanes He was replaced at Gloucester by
George Skivington
George Skivington (born 3 December 1982) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Premiership Rugby side Gloucester.
Early life and education
Skivington was born in Warrington, Cheshire.
Skivington played junio ...
.
Personal
Ackerman is married, with two sons and a daughter. He is a strong
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
See also
*
List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
References
External links
*
Sharks profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackermann, Johan
1970 births
Living people
Afrikaner people
Blue Bulls players
Bulls (rugby union) players
Doping cases in rugby union
Golden Lions players
Griquas (rugby union) players
Lions (United Rugby Championship) players
Rugby union locks
Rugby union players from Benoni
Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Sharks (rugby union) players
South Africa international rugby union players
South African rugby union coaches
South African rugby union players