Surprise, said absolutely nobody. The Bulls have officially announced what the entire South African rugby community already knew, Malcolm Marx is heading to Loftus Versfeld from July 2027 on a long-term deal that reunites him with Johan Ackermann. The only genuine shock here is that it took this long to make it official.
ALSO READ: Marx reveals Ackermann’s genius as Bulls reunion beckons
World Rugby Player of the Year joining the Bulls? Check. Reunion with the coach who discovered him as a 16-year-old at King Edward VII School? Obvious. Second seismic Springbok signing after Kwagga Smith’s October arrival? Inevitable. The whispers have been circulating, the rumours solidified weeks ago, and now the Bulls have simply rubber-stamped what everyone with a pair of ears and access to the rugby grapevine already accepted as fact.
ALSO READ: Sharks land World Cup winner Libbok in major statement signing
Marx, 32, brings credentials that need no introduction, 94 Test caps, 29 Test tries (the most by any Springbok forward in history), two World Cup winner’s medals from 2019 and 2023, and a reputation as one of rugby’s most complete hookers. He’s currently adding to that tally in Europe with the Boks before returning to South African rugby for what was always going to be a Bulls homecoming.
The reunion everyone saw coming
Ackermann’s comments about reuniting with his former Lions protégé felt less like revelation and more like formal confirmation of the rugby world’s worst-kept secret.
“I’m humbled that a player of his quality sees our union as the place he wants to play his rugby,” Ackermann said, describing their first meeting when Marx was a broad-shouldered 16-year-old at KES. “I just saw this big man, but obviously the proof was in the pudding.”
The coach recalled predicting Marx could make an impact like Bismarck du Plessis, earning media criticism at the time, before being spectacularly vindicated. His praise extended beyond rugby ability to character traits that separate good players from legends.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I coached, someone with great integrity too. He excelled and has stayed humble, always putting his team first. I have so much respect for him, grateful that his rugby journey has come full circle with me.”
Making the obvious official
Blue Bulls Company CEO Edgar Rathbone framed the signing as validation of trophy-hunting ambitions.
“Malcolm is one of the best players in the world, and he has been a hero to many South Africans,” Rathbone said. “To bring a player of his quality to the Bulls is a huge moment for our supporters and for rugby in the region.
“He is a winner, a proud South African and a man whose standards will lift everyone around him. This shows our ambition clearly: we are building a squad capable of winning trophies, and Malcolm’s signing says it loud and clear.”
ALSO READ: Bulls land World Cup winner Smith in major three year coup
The ambition was already loud and clear when Smith signed in October. Marx’s arrival simply confirms what everyone already concluded, the Bulls are assembling a squad designed to dominate, not just compete.
