Strap in for 'running of the Bulls'
However, don't expect the men from Pretoria to start playing a willy-nilly game when they open their 2015 Currie Cup campaign against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Marais is keen to change the style of game the Bulls play and while the changes may not be as dramatic as some expect, there will be a lot more running.
"There are new things we are implementing, things that are foreign to the players," Marais told rugby365 in an interview ahead of his first Currie Cup match as coach of the Bulls.
Marais, who came through the coaching ranks in Pretoria and has two Varsity Cup titles under his belt with the University of Pretoria, admitted that a couple of injuries tripped them up in pre-season.
Top of that list is Springbok loose forward Arno Botha, who will be sidelined for about a month with a knee injury.
However, Marais is forging ahead with his plans to revamp the Bulls.
"The only concern for me is that when we are under pressure the players revert to their bad habits," he said, adding: "I know the players will start believing.
"We had only a four-week pre-season in which to introduce new things, it is a slow process.
"However, it will only come right if you enforce it in every game.
"If we don't persist we won't succeed in making the culture change."
Marais said that while everybody want to win the Currie Cup, what is vital for the Bulls this week is that they must focus on the type of game they want to play and rest will come by itself.
While there will be changes, it won't be a seismic shift in the Bulls' approach.
"The chances that my team will throw the ball around willy-nilly is remote," he told rugby365.
"It is not the type of rugby I play.
"What I do believe in, is to be more expansive and give more freedom [to the players] to do things.
"We will never play the type of rugby that the Free State play, because it is not in our DNA.
"However, what we will do is allow the players a lot more freedom on attack as what they previously had.
"If you look at the players we have – William Small-Smith, Burger Odendaal and Dries Swanepoel – all players who want to play with the ball."
Marais admitted there will be times when he will have to hold onto his seat, because things will happen in a game.
"You need a fine balance. The players must know they can make calls on the field, but then they must take responsibility for their actions.
"The good thing about young players is that they have no fear."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
