EPRU Stadium
| The Boet | |
| Full name | Eastern Province Rugby Union Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Boet Erasmus Stadium |
| Location | La Roche Drive Summerstrand Port Elizabeth South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°58′55″S 25°38′22″E / 33.98194°S 25.63944°ECoordinates: 33°58′55″S 25°38′22″E / 33.98194°S 25.63944°E |
| Owner | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality |
| Operator | Eastern Province Rugby Union |
| Capacity | 33,852 |
| Field size | 100m X 70m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Closed | 2010 |
| Tenants | |
|
Mighty Elephants (Currie Cup) (1959 - 2010) Bay United (PSL/NFD) (2008 - 2010) |
|
EPRU Stadium, also known by its original name of Boet Erasmus Stadium, was a stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The letters "EPRU" in the name represent the Eastern Province Rugby Union, the company behind the stadium's historic primary tenants, the Mighty Elephants. The original name Boet Erasmus Stadium was named after Boet Erasmus, a former mayor of Port Elizabeth. The stadium held a capacity of 33,852 people and served primarily as a venue for rugby union matches but also hosted a number of football fixtures.
Boet Erasmus stadium was primarily used as the home of rugby in the Eastern Cape. Situated in the affluent suburb of Summerstrand, it hosted matches at Test, Super Rugby, Currie Cup, Vodacom Cup and club level. It was regularly used by the Eastern Province Kings under their previous names, Eastern Province and the Mighty Elephants and hosted their two home matches during the 1994 Super 10 season. The stadium was also the intended home of the Southern Spears, a team that was scheduled to play in the 2006 Currie Cup in preparation for its admission to the Super Rugby starting in 2007. However, the Spears were later denied entry into both competitions.
The stadium is credited for being the first stomping ground of a number of Springbok legends, included in which are Danie Gerber, Garth Wright, Frans Erasmus and Hannes Marias.
On 3 June 1995, South Africa took on Canada at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in a clash that has since been dubbed the Battle of Boet Erasmus. The match, which South Africa ultimately won 20-0, was marred by an on-field scuffle which saw no fewer than four players involved in a brawl. South Africa hooker James Dalton, who had come to the aid of a teammate who had been struck on the back of the head, and winger Pieter Hendriks were suspended for the remainder of the tournament for their roles in the incident and could only watch from the sidelines as the nation went on to claim its first Rugby World Cup title.
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