Bulls confirm interest in Kubota’s Malcolm Marx and Shizuoka's Kwagga Smith
Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has confirmed his interest in Kubota Spears hooker Malcolm Marx and Shizuoka Blue Revs captain Kwagga Smith.
The former Urayasu D-Rocks boss revealed that both Springboks stars and former Lions teammates are on his wish list for the South African URC side who opened their season with a comprehensive 47-13 win away against Zebre on Saturday.
Ackermann, who was replaced at Urayasu by Greig Laidlaw in 2024 despite leading the Chiba-based team to promotion, discussed his hopes of luring both Marx and Smith to Pretoria during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
When quizzed by a South African journalist about the likelihood of bringing World Player of The Year and League One runner-up Marx as well as former sevens star Smith to the Bulls, Ackermann verified that negotiations are ongoing.
“There are still negotiations going on,” said the former Gloucester and Red Hurricanes Osaka head coach.
“Their names are on our table and we’ll look at them but it’s not finished yet, and it’s still a bit of a long way to go.”
When pressed if the club is close to finalising a deal for either Springbok, he said: “Not yay or nay.”
Marx, who joined Kubota from Ackerman’s former team Urayasu (then Shining Arcs) in 2021, signed a new two-year deal with Frans Ludeke’s side a year ago through to June 2027.
The 2023 League One winner is among South Africa's replacements for today's game against the Wallabies and Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has suggested that the double World Cup winner could slot into an unfamiliar role in their back-row.
Smith is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in June and is hoping to be available for his club’s season-opening game against Marx’s Kubota on Sunday 13 December in Tokyo.
The versatile club captain is a stalwart of the Japanese scene having joined Shizuoka during the Top League era in 2018 when the club was still known as Yamaha Júbilo.
Stay tuned to RugbyJP.com for on-site coverage of the 2026-2027 League One season
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