Put those sayings to BED, please Mitch
Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell has taken his corporate speak to new heights, saying his Bulls will either ‘‘SOAR’’ or ‘‘BED’’ in next year’s Super Rugby championship.
Mitchell, who consumes self-help books and freely uses their terminologies, has taken over the struggling South African powerhouse after moving back to the rugby-mad republic from a spell as the United States coach.
He has had an impact, guiding the Bulls to the semifinals of this year’s domestic Currie Cup competition and is now charged with re-igniting a side that won just four of 15 games in this year’s Super Rugby competition. That saw the Bulls finish second from bottom in the South African conference, with only the Sunwolves from Japan below them.
‘‘Mitchell-speak’’ is nothing new but the Bulls are having to adjust.
The former Waikato great, and an All Blacks captain as well as coach, has labelled his latest methodology WTP (Weekly Tactical Periodisation) as the Bulls go through their pre-season buildup.
He is eager to produce strong and fit players who can play at a high tempo for long periods after inheriting a squad that one South African critic said had too many ‘‘big, fat and lazy’’ players.
That’s the perfect scenario for Mitchell to pull out his latest gems and he duly delivered in an interview with Netwerk24 that has left some pundits scratching their heads.
‘‘The onus and responsibility rests on the players. They have a choice between SOAR [Standards Ownership Accountability Responsibility] or BED [Blame Excuses Denial],’’ Mitchell said. ‘‘The choice is the players’. The system is based on facts and we use GPS information to give objective feedback to the players.’’
Mitchell, who has had some issues with players in the past, wants a happy squad on and off the field. His aim is for the Bulls to play ‘‘attractive and winning rugby’’.