Phiwe Nomlomo intends to repay the faith shown in him with a successful campaign after being officially announced as the new Bulls Currie Cup head coach yesterday.
The 38-year-old mentor joined the Pretoria franchise from the Sharks last season already, where he worked as the skills coach for all teams.
Now he will take charge of the senior provincial side for the first time, with the Bulls keen to reach new heights after a difficult journey last season.
They sneaked into the semi-finals in fourth position after Edgar Marutlulle was demoted back to the junior teams when Bulls had lost three games under his watch: 63-15 to the Pumas in Pretoria, 32-7 to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and 32-28 to the Griffons in Welkom.
That resulted in director of rugby Jake White taking charge of the Currie Cup side, but they lost 39-10 to Free State in the semi-finals.
So, Nomlomo will be hoping for better fortune in the upcoming tournament, where the Bulls will face Western Province in their opener on July 7 in Cape Town.
“This is more than just an honour. It is carrying the trust of the entire organisation to lead our side in a competition we value and respect because of the influence it has on rugby in our country. It is also another opportunity to compete and showcase the talent we have within our ranks,” Nomlomo said in a statement yesterday.
“Our loyal faithful will have the opportunity to see our new recruits in action as rugby enters its traditional winter season. It will be good to play in some of the areas that we don’t visit on a regular basis.”
The Bulls will be keen to get some silverware after coming close in the United Rugby Championship, where they lost in a Loftus Versfeld final to the Glasgow Warriors last weekend.
Nomlomo – who hails from Tsomo (about 150km north of East London) in the Eastern Cape and came through Selborne College as a coach, before various stints with the SA Schools A side, Border Craven Week squad and the EP Kings academy – will be assisted by Werner Kruger (forwards), Jean Tiedt (defence) and Kennedy Tsimba (backline).
“We have a quick turnaround from the URC to the Currie Cup, which is a unique kind of pressure for us – one that we enjoy because it means that the franchise is excelling in all competitions,” he said.
“We now need to make sure that everyone in the squad is aligned on what our brand identity is going to be for this campaign, and make minor tweaks ahead of the start in a week’s time.
“We have players who are keen to get on the field, rugby coaches who want to see them do well and a support base who wish to see their club go all the way. This is a wonderful recipe for an exciting season ahead.”