The Vodacom Bulls require different off-field components to be successful on the field, a team behind the team if you will.
The #BullsFamily are fortunate to have the services of exceptional personnel that work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the team can perform at their best.
First up in our #HeroesBehindTheScenes series is Strength and Conditioning coach, Jacus Coetzee, who is responsible for making sure that the players are well conditioned for the brutal toll the game has on players.
“I’m responsible for the players’ training and conditioning so I’m looking after them in the gym, giving them their workout plans and their programs in the gym, making them strong and powerful. Also on the field, I have to make sure they’re fit and able to play the game at a high intensity,” explained Coetzee.
An average day at Loftus for Coetzee involves early morning meetings with the coaching management. This is followed up by gym programmes; on field sessions and one-on-one meetings with players.
Coetzee has spent several seasons with the Vodacom Bulls and has experienced many memorable moments with the team but his stand out moment was the 2018 opening Vodacom Super Rugby fixture against the Hurricanes.
“It was a long time that the Bulls had beaten a New Zealand team. We worked really hard, we had new plans and changed a lot of things with the coaching staff. Beating a New Zealand side at Loftus for the first time in awhile was a great memory for me.”
Coetzee’s inspiration to ensure the Vodacom Bulls remain competitive stems from the fact that he himself is a sportsmen and prides himself on finding new ways to improve the players’ performances on the field.
His dedication and passion to his craft is what makes him a Hero Behind the Scenes and rest assured he’ll be back doing what he does best when rugby resumes.
