Full name | Blue Bulls |
---|---|
Union | Blue Bulls Rugby Union |
Founded | 1938 |
Location | Pretoria, South Africa |
Region |
Pretoria, Gauteng Province Limpopo Province |
Ground(s) | Loftus Versfeld (Capacity: 51,762) |
Coach(es) | Nollis Marais (Currie Cup) Hendré Marnitz (Currie Cup qualification) |
Captain(s) | Arno Botha |
League(s) | Currie Cup |
2016 Currie Cup Premier Division | 2nd on log |
Official website | |
www |
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Current season |
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, Gauteng province.
What was previously the Northern Transvaal Rugby Union then nicknamed the "Blue Bulls" renamed itself the Blue Bulls Rugby Union in the 1990s, and the Northern Transvaal team became known as the Blue Bulls at the same time. When Vodacom became the team's major sponsor their name was also added. Previously the side was sponsored by ExxonMobil and known as the Mobil Blue Bulls.
Their main colour is blue and their emblem a bull's head and horns.
The Blue Bulls Rugby Union also operates the Super Rugby team known simply as Bulls.
The team as it is known today has its beginnings in 1938 when the then Northern Transvaal Rugby Union broke away from the Transvaal Rugby Football Union to gain status as an independent rugby union. The new team was named Northern Transvaal and donned light blue jerseys with a red Barberton Daisy emblem. However, in their very first match, they played in the red and gold hooped jerseys of the Pretoria Combined team that often "locked horns" with teams touring South Africa (red and gold being the colors of Pretoria).
Eight years would pass before they would first lift the Currie Cup in 1946, when they defeated the Western Province 11-9 at home at Loftus Versfeld thanks to two dropped goals (one off his left foot) by Springbok flyhalf Hansie Brewis; the score was 8-9 to Province (a drop goal counted 4 points in those days). With time running out Brewis, the first true Northerns legend, received the ball in his own twenty-two. With an enormous kick, he tried to get the ball rolling out in the north-eastern corner, but the ball kept rolling and the Western Province full-back, Con de Kock, carelessly waited for it to roll out. When the ball jumped back in field, De Kock noticed Johnny Lourens storming down at full pace and, realising the danger, kicked hastily at the ball but missed it completely. Lourens scooped it up to score the winning try.