Bulls (rugby union)

The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, is a South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria and they play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld. Prior to 1998, the Bulls competed in the then-Super 12 as Northern Transvaal, as in those years South Africa was represented in the competition by its top four Currie Cup sides from the previous season, instead of the modern Super Rugby teams. They compete in the Super Rugby.

For other uses, see Bulls (disambiguation).

Bulls
UnionSouth African Rugby Union
Founded1997 (1997)
LocationPretoria, South Africa
RegionGauteng, Limpopo
Ground(s)Loftus Versfeld (Capacity: 51,762)
Director of RugbyJake White
Coach(es)Jake White
Captain(s)Duane Vermeulen
League(s)Super Rugby
Super Rugby Unlocked
20204th (South African Conference)
12th (overall) (season abandoned)
Super Rugby Unlocked
(1st)
Team kit
2nd kit
Official website
bullsrugby.co.za
Current season

The side won the Super 14 in 2007, 2009 and 2010, placing them among the most successful teams in Super Rugby history with three titles. They were the most successful team of the Super 14 era (2006–10), winning three out of the five titles. They are the most successful South African team, and the only South African team to win a Super Rugby title.

History

Early history

Prior to the professional Super Rugby competition, Northern Transvaal competed in the Super 10, which was a tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga and Western Samoa, which ran from 1993 to 1995. The top three teams from the previous Currie Cup season qualified for each of the Super 10 tournaments.

Northern Transvaal competed in the 1993 season, where they were grouped in Pool B alongside Transvaal, New South Wales, North Harbour and Waikato. Transvaal finished at the top of the pool, with Northern Transvaal finishing third, behind New South Wales. Northern Transvaal did not qualify for the Super 10 (Southern Hemisphere competition)#1994 Super 10 or 1995 seasons.

Early Professional Era (1996–2005)

After rugby union went professional, the Super 10 tournament was restructured. The Super 12 was created, and was to be competed by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Both Australia and New Zealand adopted new franchise models for their teams, whereas South Africa chose to use the Currie Cup to decide what teams were to be promoted in the Super 12 each season.

Competing in the inaugural Super 12 season of 1996, Northern Transvaal were one of the 12 teams. The side won eight of their 11 games and finished third on the table – behind only Auckland and Queensland. Jannie Kruger finished the season in the top three leading point-scorers, behind only Matthew Burke and John Eales. The side was however soundly defeated in a semi-final by the Auckland Blues, with the final score being 48 points to 11. The game was played at Eden Park in Auckland.

After their fairly successful performance in the opening competition, the subsequent competition of 1997 saw them with three wins and three draws from 11 games. They finished at eighth. Following the 1997 season, South Africa adopted a similar franchise system to that of Australia and New Zealand's, abolishing the Currie Cup promotion system in favour of creating new franchises. The Bulls were formed as one of the four new teams. They did not make the semis in the 1998 season. The Bulls were considered one of the worst teams in the Super 12 competition, finishing last or second to last for five consecutive seasons from 1998–2003. In 2002, they became the first team ever to go through an entire Super Rugby season without winning a single game. This record remained until the Lions repeated the feat during the 2010 season. After finishing fourth in the inaugural competition, they did not make the semis again until the years 2003.

The Bulls finished in 6th place in both 2003 and 2004, though still missing out on a finals position. They equalled there 1996 performance in 2005, although there was a very poor start to the season, it was followed by six straight wins to earn them a semi-final berth, where they were defeated by the New South Wales Waratahs. Bryan Habana finished in the top three try-scorers by the end of the season, and was short-listed for IRB player of the year.

The Bulls playing the Western Force in Perth, Australia in 2006.

Super 14 Era (2006–10)

In 2006, the Super 12 became the Super 14, with the addition of two new franchises, the Cheetahs and the Western Force. By the last round of the 2006 season, the Bulls, along with the Brumbies and Sharks were all in contention to take the fourth and final position on the ladder to make the semi-finals. After the Brumbies were defeated 33 to 3 by the Crusaders, the Bulls or Sharks could mathematically take the fourth spot. The Bulls defeated the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town 43 points to 10, which ensured they went through to the semi-finals. The Bulls travelled to Christchurch where they were defeated 35 to 15 at Jade Stadium and knocked out of the finals.

The Bulls lost their first game of the 2007 Super 14 season, going down to the Sharks in Durban 17 points to 3. Entering week 14, the last round of the regular season, the Bulls were chasing an unlikely 72-point win over the Queensland Reds in order to move into second place and get a home semi-final.[1] At Loftus, the Bulls defeated the Reds 92 points to 3, with the 89-point margin of victory setting a new Super rugby record.[1] The Bulls ran in 13 tries with four players getting doubles and Derick Hougaard kicking 11 conversions. The Sharks finished first, so it became the first time that both home venues in the semi-finals was in South Africa.

The Bulls defeated the Crusaders in their semi-final by 27 points to 12, with Derick Hougaard kicking eight penalties and a drop-goal. The Sharks ensured a home-final in the 2007 Super 14-competition by defeating the Blues with a scoreline of 34–18.

When the Bulls met the Sharks in the Super 14 final at the Absa Stadium in Durban the match turned out to be a tight, nervous affair with the Bulls initially being guilty of indiscipline and making a lot of mistakes. The Sharks carried a 14–10 advantage into half-time after a JP Pietersen try cancelled out one from Pierre Spies. The second half of the match was just as nail-biting, with the Bulls gaining the ascendancy in the match, but failing to turn their rising amount of possession into points. A Derick Hougaard penalty closed the gap to 14–13, after which the Bulls made several onslaughts on the Sharks line, only to lose the ball at critical stages. Their match looked to be all but over for the Bulls when Albert van den Berg barged over the line for a Sharks try two minutes from full-time to stretch their lead to six points. However, Francois Steyn failed with the conversion attempt, and the Bulls restarted with barely seconds on the clock. After regaining the ball from the kick-off, play went through several phases before Bryan Habana received the ball on the right wing. He cut infield and scored the most dramatic of match winning tries, more than a minute after official play. The try was converted by Derick Hougaard and the Bulls won the match by 20 points to 19. In 2009 the Bulls again won the super 14, defeating the Chiefs 61 – 17 in the final in Pretoria.

In 2010 the Bulls again finished top of the log by beating the Crusaders in a home semi final to secure a home final. Because the Fifa World cup was being hosted by South-Africa that year and Loftus was included as a venue, they had to play the Semi and Final in Soweto, A first in Super rugby history. The Stormers had beaten the Waratahs at home and would face off with the Bulls in the Final. The Bulls won the final once again in dramatic style when Francois Hougaard side stepped the Stormers Fullback Joe Petersen to score an impressive try.

Location
The Bulls Cheerleaders

The team is centred around the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, whose catchment covers Pretoria as well as Limpopo, but also draws players from the Falcons Rugby Union, who represent the East Rand. Through 2005, the Bulls also drew players from the Pumas Rugby Union and Leopards Rugby Union, but in the realignment of franchise areas that came from the expansion of Super 12 to Super 14, these unions were moved into the Lions.

Stadium
Bulletjie, the Blue Bulls mascot

The Bulls play all their home matches at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, which is also the home of the Blue Bulls during the Currie Cup season. The stadium is also a regular host for Springboks Test matches, and was a venue during the 1995 Rugby World Cup which South Africa hosted. Loftus was a venue for Pool D matches including France v Tonga, Scotland v Tonga and France v Scotland. Loftus was also used twice during the finals stages – for the New Zealand v Scotland quarter-final and the England v France third place play-off.

The ground has been used for rugby since 1908, and in 1932 the stadium was renamed to Loftus Versfeld in honor of Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, the founder of organized rugby in Pretoria.[2][3] The stadium has undergone numerous renovations over the years, and is currently capable of holding 51,762 spectators.

Current squad
For player movements before and during the 2021 season, see List of 2020–21 Super Rugby transfers (South Africa) § Bulls.

The squad for the Super Rugby Unlocked competition is:[4][lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4]

Bulls Super Rugby Unlocked squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped, DEV denotes a development squad player, ST denotes a short-term signing.
  1. Gqoboka, Grobbelaar, Louw & Uys were not originally named in the Bulls squad, but were announced in the team for Round 1 of Super Rugby Unlocked.[5]
  2. Steenekamp & van Zyl were not originally named in the Bulls squad, but were announced in the team for Round 2 of Super Rugby Unlocked.[6]
  3. van der Merwe was not originally named in the Bulls squad, but was announced in the team for Round 3 of Super Rugby Unlocked.[7]
  4. Steenkamp was not originally named in the Bulls squad, but was announced in the team for Round 5 of Super Rugby Unlocked.[8]

Coaches

Captains

Super 12, Super 14 and Super Rugby eras.
CompetitionPeriodGamesWonDrawnLostWin %Points forAverage PFPoints againstMost points forMost points conceded
Super 121996–20051123667032.14%269624.07355075–14 vs Stormers (2005)75–27 vs Crusaders (2000)
Super 142006–2010724812366.67%206428.67162392–3 vs Reds (2007)54–19 vs Crusaders (2008)
Super Rugby2011–20191447346750.69%372325.85353061–8 vs Reds (2012)62–24 vs Crusaders (2017)
Overall1996–20193281571116047.87%848325.86870392–3 vs Reds (2007)75–27 vs Crusaders (2000)
  • 2019 semi-final not included.

Ten highest Super Rugby scores for the Bulls since 1996
Super Rugby
Number Score Opponent Date Reference
192 – 3 Reds5 May 2007[9]
275 – 14 Stormers28 April 2005[10]
362 – 52 Cats8 May 2004[11]
461 – 8 Reds24 March 2012[12]
561 – 17 Chiefs30 May 2009[13]
660 – 20 Cheetahs17 May 2008[14]
759 – 26 Blues21 February 2009[15]
859 – 29 Highlanders20 March 1996[16]
951 – 11 Lions24 April 2010[17]
1051 – 19 Cheetahs3 March 2012[18]

Results per opposition

Bulls Super Rugby results vs different opponents 1996–2016:[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]

Super Rugby
Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost Win% Points for Average PF Points against Best score Worst score 40–49 points 50+ points
Sharks1996–201830153950.00%64621.5363243–35 (2015)35–43 (2015)20
Waratahs1996–2016211101052.38%47822.7658848–38 (2010)53–7 (2001)10
Highlanders1996–201821611428.57%50624.1060759–29 (1996)65–23 (1999)22
Reds1996–201821901242.85%56526.9046392–3 (2007)48–12 (2002)22
Crusaders1996–2018261001638.46%61323.5886440–35 (2010)75–27 (2000)10
Blues1996–201721711333.33%54525.9171459–26 (2009)65–24 (2002)21
Chiefs1996–201823821334.78%64428.0073061–17 (2009)53–24 (2002)11
Lions1996–2018271511155.56%75928.1175462–52 (2004)57–24 (1999)12
Hurricanes1996–201821901242.86%53925.6756748–14 (2013)64–32 (1997)40
Brumbies1996–201822801436.36%55825.3665050–32 (2010)73–9 (1999)11
Stormers1996–2018311211838.71%70021.9670375–14 (2005)42–19 (1999)21
Cheetahs1997–201720160480.00%63831.9046060–20 (2008)42–29 (2015)23
Force2006–20161060460.00%26426.4022142–20 (2016)30–27 (2007)10
Rebels2011–2018650183.33%22136.8310847–10 (2011)35–41 (2012)40
Southern Kings2013–2017430175.00%15037.505548–18 (2013)31–30 (2017)10
Sunwolves2016–2018530260.00%17134.2011450–3 (2016)42–37 (2018)01
Jaguares2016–2018420250.00%10426.0013043–34 (2018)54–25 (2018)10
Overall1996–2018312149915447.76%807325.88831992–3 vs Reds (2007)75–27 vs Crusaders (2000)2814
  • All these stats include playoff matches (qualifiers, semi-finals and finals)
  • All fixtures added 1996 – 2018

Individual
Record Held by
Most appearances 140 by Victor Matfield (2001–11) (2014–15)
Most consecutive appearances 99 by Pedrie Wannenburg (19 April 2003 – 31 May 2010)
Oldest player 37 years, 7 months, and 17 days. by Victor Matfield (27 December 2014)
Most points 1467 by Morné Steyn (2005 – 30 July 2013 – 124 games)
Most tries 37 by Bryan Habana (2005–09) 2nd Akona Ndungane 33 tries (2005–14)
Most conversions 234 by Morné Steyn (2005–2013 – 119 games)
Most penalty kicks 263 by Morné Steyn (2005–2013 – 119 games)
Most drop goals 25 by Morné Steyn (2005–13, 119 games)
Most appearances as captain 60 by Victor Matfield (2004–11)

Match
Record Held by
Biggest victory and the biggest home victory. 92–3 (v. Queensland Reds, 2007)
Largest points for 92 (v Queensland Reds, 2007)
Biggest defeat 9–73 (v ACT Brumbies, 1999)
Most points conceded 75 (v Crusaders, 2000)
Most tries: 13 (v Queensland Reds, 2007)
Most tries conceded 11 (v Crusaders, 2000)
Most points by a player 35 by Morné Steyn (v Stormers, 2005, v Brumbies 2010)
Most tries by a player 3 by Fourie du Preez (v Cats, 2004)
Most conversions by a player 11 by Derick Hougaard (v Queensland Reds, 2007)
Most penalties by a player 8 by Jannie de Beer (versus Highlanders, 1996, then Northern Transvaal)
8 by Derick Hougaard (versus Crusaders, 2007)
Most drop goals by a player 4 by Morné Steyn (v Crusaders, 2009)

Winning streaks
Record Held by
Most consecutive victories 12 (25 April 2009 – 27 March 2010)
Most consecutive home victories 20 (19 April 2008 – 5 March 2011)

Season
Record Held by
Most points 500 (2010)
Most points by a player 263 by Morné Steyn (2010 – Super Rugby record)
Most team tries 51 (2010)
Most tries by a player 11 by Bjorn Basson (2012)
Most conversions by a player 38 by Morné Steyn (2010)
Most penalty kicks by a player 51 Morné Steyn (2010 – Super Rugby Record)
Most drop goals by a player 11 by Morné Steyn (2009, Super Rugby Record)

Honors

Finals

SeasonResultDate
2007Won the final 20 – 19 against the Sharks19 May 2007
2009Won the final 61 – 17 against the Chiefs30 May 2009
2010Won the final 25 – 17 against the Stormers29 May 2010

Semi finals

SeasonResultDateNotes
1996Lost 11 – 48 to Blues19 May 1996
2005Lost 13 – 23 to Waratahs21 May 2005
2006Lost 15 – 35 to Crusaders20 May 2006
2013Lost 23 – 26 to Brumbies27 July 2013South African conference winners

Qualifiers

SeasonResultDate
2012Lost 13 – 28 to Crusaders21 July 2012

Trophies
Honours
Competition No of titles Runner-up Years
Super Rugby302007 2009 2010
Super Rugby Unlocked102020
Gauteng Rugby Cup102013
Lafarge Zimbabwe Champions Cup01Runners up 2016

Season-by-Season Standings

Super 10 (Amateur era)
Super 10 Results
YearPlacePlayedWinDrawLossPFPADiffBPPointsPlayoffs
1993 3rd 4202109109008-
1994 Did not qualify----------
1995 Did not qualify----------

Super 12
Super 12 Results
YearPlacePlayedWinDrawLossPFPADiffBPPointsPlayoffs
1996 4th 11803329208+121638Lost semi-final 48–11 to Auckland Blues.
1997 8th 11335264342−78422
1998 11th 11308249306−57416
1999 12th 111010203447−24437
2000 11th 11128231395−164311
2001 12th 11209241378−137311
2002 12th 110011232500−26811
2003 6th 11605320354−34530
2004 6th 11515302320−18628
2005 3rd 11704301229+72634Lost semi-final 23–13 to Waratahs .

Super 14
Super 14 Results
YearPlacePlayedWinDrawLossPFPADiffBPPointsPlayoffs
2006 4th 13715355290+65838Lost semi-final 35–15 to Crusaders.
2007 1st 151104435254+181642Defeated the Sharks 19–20
2008 10th 13607324347−23428
2009 1st 151203435311+124646Defeated the Chiefs 61–17
2010 1st 131003436345+91747Defeated the Stormers 25–17

Super Rugby
Super Rugby Results
YearPlacePlayedWinDrawLossPFPADiffBPPointsPlayoffsSouth African conference
2011 7th 161006416370+466543rd
2012 5th 161006472369+1031159Lost qualifiers 28–13 to the Crusaders.2nd
2013 2nd 161204448330+118763Lost semi final 23–26 to the Brumbies.1st
2014 9th 16718365335+308382nd
2015 9th 16709397388+910383rd
2016 9th 15915399339+604424th

References
  1. "Rugby-Bulls blitz Reds 92–3 to earn home semi-final". Reuters. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  2. "Sports stadiums in South Africa". SouthAfrica.info. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  3. "Loftus Versfeld – History". Vodacom Blue Bulls. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  4. "Vodacom Bulls 2020 Squad". Bulls. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  5. "Botha to lead powerful Vodacom Bulls team in Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked opener" (Press release). Bulls. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  6. "Big Duane back for Toyota Cheetahs" (Press release). Bulls. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  7. "Van der Merwe to start against Cell C Sharks" (Press release). Bulls. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  8. "Steenkamp LOCKED in for Vodacom Bulls debut" (Press release). Bulls. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 92-3 Reds". South African Rugby Union. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  10. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 75-14 Investec Stormers". South African Rugby Union. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  11. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Bulls 62-52 Cats". South African Rugby Union. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  12. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 61-8 Reds". South African Rugby Union. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  13. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 61-17 Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  14. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Cheetahs 20-60 Vodacom Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  15. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 59-26 Blues". South African Rugby Union. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  16. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Northern Transvaal 59-29 Otago Highlanders". South African Rugby Union. 20 March 1996. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  17. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 51-11 Auto & General Lions". South African Rugby Union. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  18. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Cheetahs 19-51 Vodacom Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  19. "SA Rugby Squad – Northern Transvaal : 1996 Winfield Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  20. "SA Rugby Squad – Blue Bulls : 1997 Winfield Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  21. "SA Rugby Squad – Northern Bulls : 1998 Winfield Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  22. "SA Rugby Squad – Northern Bulls : 1999 Winfield Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  23. "SA Rugby Squad – Northern Bulls : 2000 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  24. "SA Rugby Squad – Bulls : 2001 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  25. "SA Rugby Squad – Bulls : 2002 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  26. "SA Rugby Squad – Bulls : 2003 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  27. "SA Rugby Squad – Bulls : 2004 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  28. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2005 Vodacom Super 12". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  29. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2006 Vodacom Super 14". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  30. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2007 Vodacom Super 14". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  31. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2008 Vodacom Super 14". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  32. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2009 Vodacom Super 14". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  33. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2010 Vodacom Super 14". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  34. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  35. "SA Rugby Squad – Vodacom Bulls : 2012 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  36. "SA Rugby Squad – Bulls : 2013 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
Preceded by
2006 – Crusaders		 Super 14 Champions
2007 (first title)		 Succeeded by
2008 – Crusaders
Preceded by
2008 – Crusaders		 Super 14 Champions
2009		 Succeeded by
2010 – Bulls
Preceded by
2009 – Bulls		 Super 14 Champions
2010		 Succeeded by
2011 – Reds
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