Abbreviation | BBRU |
---|---|
Formation | 1938 |
Type | Sport federation |
Headquarters | Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
Location | |
President | Gert Wessels [1] |
The Blue Bulls Rugby Union, previously Northern Transvaal Rugby Union, is the governing body for rugby union in Pretoria, two neighboring municipalities in Gauteng Province, and all of Limpopo Province, in South Africa. The union's headquarters and home stadium is Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The union operates teams in United Rugby Championship (the Bulls), and in South Africa's domestic Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge competitions (both the Blue Bulls). For sponsorship reasons, the teams are currently called the Vodacom Bulls and Vodacom Blue Bulls (Afrikaans: Vodacom Blou Bulle).
The Blue Bulls (Blue Bulls Rugby Union) or Blou Bulle (Afrikaans) was formed in 1938 as the Northern Transvaal Rugby Union (N.T.R.U.). Prior to the formation of the union, the region's clubs were under the jurisdiction of the then Transvaal Rugby Union (now Golden Lions Rugby Union). Northern Transvaal (under the NTRU), captained by Danie Craven, played its first home game as an independent union on 28 May 1938. The game against the Orange Free State team ended in a draw, 11:11. [2] In its first 75 years, the team competed for the Currie Cup in 55 seasons, and won 23 Currie Cup titles in 53 finals. In the same period 127 Springboks hailed from the Union, and it won 3 Super Rugby titles.
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franchises also compete in the United Rugby Championship competition, including for the 'South African Shield'. for the highest placed South African team.
The Bulls are a South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria. They play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. 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.
The Blue Bulls is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament and the United Rugby Championship. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, Gauteng province.
The Free State Cheetahs, currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs due to sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 48,000 capacity Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs have won the Currie Cup six times, with five of the wins coming since 2005, including winning the cup three times consecutively from 2005 to 2007. Since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, they have been considered one of South Africa's "Big 5" provincial rugby Unions.
Griquas are a South African professional rugby union team based in Kimberley in Northern Cape, that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Griqua Park in Kimberley and they draw their players mostly from Northern Cape Province. They have won the Currie Cup three times – in 1899, 1911 and 1970 – and the Vodacom Cup a joint-record five times.
Western Province is a South African professional rugby union team based in Newlands, Cape Town, that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments. Founded in 1883, the team has won multiple titles, a record of 34 Currie Cup titles including the inaugural competition, the Vodacom Cup, the Absa Nite Series, and the Lion Cup.
The Sharks are a South Africa rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The Sharks are the current representative team of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union and they draw some of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. For most of their history, the team was known simply as 'Natal', with a nickname of 'The Banana Boys' or Piesangboere in Afrikaans, until the mid-1990s when they were re-branded as the Sharks.
Schalk Jakobus Petrus Ferreira is a South African rugby union player for the Southern Kings in the Pro14. He has been playing first rugby since 2005 and normally plays as a loosehead prop.
The Quins-Bobbies Rugby Club – also referred to as QBR – are a South African rugby union team, formed in 2017 following the merger of Pretoria Harlequins and Pretoria Police rugby clubs.
The 1997 Currie Cup was the 59th season of the Currie Cup, South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, since it started in 1889. The competition was known as the Bankfin Currie Cup for sponsorship reasons and was contested from 28 May to 25 October 1997.
David James Bulbring is a South African professional rugby union player, currently playing with Welsh Pro14 side Scarlets.
Limpopo Blue Bulls are a South African rugby union team that are a sub-union of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are therefore represented by the Blue Bulls in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments. They play out of Polokwane at the Peter Mokaba Stadium and draw players from the entire Limpopo province in South Africa. Between 2013 and 2015, the Limpopo Blue Bulls played as a separate team in the Vodacom Cup competition. Despite their first team not participating in first class rugby since 2015, they still have youth teams that participate in competitions such as the Under-21 and Under-19 Provincial Championships and in the Craven Week and Grant Khomo Week tournaments. They also have a women's team who compete in the South African Rugby Women's First Division.
Cornell Hess is a South African rugby union player for Angoulême in the Pro D2 in France. His usual position is lock.
Edgar Marutlulle is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. His usual position is hooker.
Robert Albertus Kruger is a South African rugby union player for NTT Communications Shining Arcs in the Top League in Japan. His regular position is a flanker, but he has occasionally played as a lock or number eight.
Leonard Olivier is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with French Fédérale 1 side Vannes. His regular position is fly-half.
Dustin Jinka is a South African former professional rugby union player whose regular position was scrum-half. In 2016, Jinka became the head coach of Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby.
Juan Louw Schoeman is a South African rugby union player for the Bath in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is loosehead prop.
Rudi "Poerie" van Rooyen is a South African rugby union player for Lokomotiv-Penza in the Professional Rugby League in Russia. His regular position is scrum-half.
Nollis Marais is a South African professional rugby union coach of Pretoria-based side the Blue Bulls XV and formerly head coach of their associated Super Rugby franchise, the Bulls.