Johann van Graan

Johann Christoffel van Graan (born 18 March 1980) is a South African rugby union coach, currently the head coach for Bath.

Coaching career
Van Graan did not have a top level playing career. With a family background in rugby, he showed very strong interest in analysis from an early age.

2004–2011 : Bulls and Blue Bulls
Van Graan started as a technical adviser for the Blue Bulls rugby team, initially working with their Vodacom Cup team, before moving into the same role with their Currie Cup team and the Bulls Super Rugby (then known as Super 14) team. He moved into a role as the teams' forwards and attack coach, helping the Bulls win three Super 14 titles in 2007 (under head coach Heyneke Meyer) and 2009 and 2010 (under Frans Ludeke).

2012–2017 : South Africa
He joined the Springboks coaching setup in 2012 as a technical adviser, where he again linked up with Heyneke Meyer. He became known for his attention to detail, utilising video analysis, and soon saw his role progressed to that of forwards coach. In the coaching restructure post-2015 Rugby World Cup, Van Graan was the only member of the coaching team to survive, and he continued in his role under new Springboks head coach Allister Coetzee.

2017–2022 : Munster
In October 2017, it was confirmed that Van Graan would be leaving South Africa to join Irish Pro14 side Munster as their new head coach. He replaced outgoing Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus, who was returning to South Africa. His first game with Munster was a 36–19 win away to Zebre in the Pro14 on 26 November 2017, although he officially took charge of the side the day after. He signed a two-year contract extension with Munster and the IRFU in April 2019. Van Graan left Munster upon the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.

2022-Present : Bath
Van Graan joined English Premiership club Bath on a long-term contract from the 2022–23 season. Van Graan was originally set to be working under Stuart Hooper, who had been Director of Rugby since 2019. However, after Bath's historic 64-0 loss to rivals Gloucester Rugby near the end of the 2021-22 season, Hooper was transitioned from Director of Rugby to the new role of General Manager, with Van Graan becoming Head of Rugby for the 2022-23 campaign.

Coming in after one of the worst seasons in the club's history, Van Graan turned Bath around. The team's improvement in form over the course of the campaign culminated with a 4 match winning streak at seasons end. A 61-29 thrashing of Saracens  on the final day saw them edge neighbours and rivals Bristol Bears for eighth in the table and a place in the 2023-24 Champions Cup.

In his second season in charge, Bath's improvement continued. His team finished the regular season in 2nd place, their highest finish since 2015. After defeating Sale Sharks in the semi-final, his side were defeated by Northampton Saints in the 2023/2024 Premiership Final by a score of 25-21.

Personal life
He is the son of Barend van Graan, the long-serving CEO of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union.