Frans Ludeke stepped down as coach of the Bulls immediately after they finished a disappointing season with a 42-29 home defeat against the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby competition at Loftus Versfeld.
It ends the tenure of the longest-serving South African coach after 149 Super Rugby matches with one year left on his contract. He took the Bulls to the Super Rugby title in 2009 and 2010.
Nollis Marais takes charge for the domestic Currie Cup season ahead but a new coach of the Super Rugby franchise for next year will only be announced later, a statement from the Bulls said.
