Bulls target Henry, Smith

The once mighty Bulls are reportedly seeking Kiwi coaching help with an eye on All Blacks brainpower.

The Rapport newspaper in South Africa said the Pretoriabased Super Rugby franchise was looking to hire a New Zealand coaching consultant to help turn their season around. World Cup winning coach Graham Henry and current All Blacks assistant Wayne Smith were prime targets.

They also mentioned Chiefs coach Dave Rennie and Highlanders boss Tony Brown, though how either of those could work for a South African outfit while being in charge of New Zealand franchises defies belief.

Both will be cleared of those Kiwi links at the end of the current Super Rugby season. Rennie is in his final year at the Chiefs and will take v oer the Glasgow Warriors after that. Brown is set to link up again with Jamie Joseph, helping the Japan national team.

Bulls head coach Nollis Marais is feeling the heat with just one win in five games and that sole victory coming against the lowly Sunwolves.

A source told Rapport that the Bulls wanted ‘‘someone who is currently part of the inner workings of New Zealand rugby’’ to help Marais.

‘‘The buzzword is more crosspollination,’’ the report said, believing there would be a flow-on effect to the struggling Springboks.

‘‘Springboks rugby is healthy when the Bulls and Western Province are strong.’’

The powerbrokers at the Bulls had noticed the way the Stormers had benefited by bringing in Kiwi skills coach Paul Feeney. The Stormers have won all five of their matches, scoring 29 tries.

The Bulls are the only South African outfit to win the Super Rugby title, claiming it three times in four years from 2007-210. But they have only featured in one semifinal since then.

Henry has done wide consultancy work since stepping away from the All Blacks following the 2011 World Cup triumph in New Zealand. He has worked with the Argentina Pumas, Irish clubleinster and even New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.