The Vodacom Blue Bulls have made a massive coup by signing Griquas and Springbok winger Bjorn Basson to join them from November 1.
While the Bulls had been after another Springbok winger, a secret trip to Kimberley on Monday by Blue Bulls High Performance manager Ian Schwartz was enough to convince both Basson, Griquas and the Cheetahs to release the winger a year early on his contract to make the move to the Vodacom Super 14 and Absa Currie Cup champions.
Schwartz wasn’t available for comment yesterday, but SuperSport.com can reveal that the Blue Bulls did pay a transfer fee to get Basson released from his contract after months of negotiations.
These were somewhat tricky as the Cheetahs paid a portion of Basson’s salary and therefore had a say in whether he could be moved or not.
Griquas CEO Arni van Rooyen confirmed that the deal had been finalised and that Basson had signed his new contract with the Bulls on Monday afternoon.
“Bjorn has signed his contract and is a Blue Bulls as from 1 November,” Van Rooyen told .
“Bjorn is a very good player and the Bulls were very professional in the manner that they approached us to negotiate with him. We don’t want to lose him but rugby is a business and the decision was the best for all parties concerned. He is one of the best finishers in the country.”
Van Rooyen did confirm that a transfer fee was paid, but declined to say what the amount was.
The Blue Bulls were also looking at signing Springbok winger JP Pietersen, but it is understood that his price was three times as much as Basson and therefore they decided on the younger winger rather than Pietersen’s experience.
There was also talk earlier in the season that they were interested in rogue winger Lionel Mapoe. The Bulls approached the Cheetahs at the time with a request to negotiate for Mapoe, which was denied. They subsequently stopped pursuing Mapoe because it would be outside the SARU regulations to negotiate with him after the request was denied.
Mapoe requested a release from his contract to join the Sharks, who have apparently been paying him since he left Bloemfontein and even though he lost an arbitration case on the matter, has refused to return to Bloemfontein as he was instructed to do.
Basson will now at least give a bit of speed back to the Bulls backs, which have been lacking in this department since the departure of Bryan Habana to Cape Town at the end of last year. In the Currie Cup they have played veteran utility back Jaco van der Westhuyzen on the wing, ignoring seasoned finisher John Mametsa with mixed success.
Their Currie Cup plans also took a hammer blow earlier when Bok winger Akona Ndungane broke his leg for a second time shortly after returning to the rugby field after recovering from the first break.
Ndungane’s contract runs out at the end of the year and it will be interesting to see if the Blue Bulls do renew it after he has played so little for them over the past few seasons.
Supersport
@ superBul:30 – Well good news for you Super. HE IS NOT in the Bulls camp…….hehehehe. You can rest now. He is here where we WANT him and where he wants to be in Durbs. 😉
Puma jy kan regtig nie Basson en Mapoe vergelyk nie. As die Griekwas en die Ctahs gesê het ‘nee’, dan sou die Bulle dit aanvaar het, hulle sal nie vir Basson nooi na hul oefeninge, hom solank betaal en deur die hof die Kwasse gedwing het om Basson los te maak van sy kontrak nie.
Okay plenty work to do. Out of here now.
Cheers everyone.
@ bdb:32 – Don’t worry bdb. It will get sorted just taking a long, long time but it will be sorted out one way or the other.
Okay out of here now.
@ Puma:
31
Enjoy it 😆
If there is one player in the Sharks team i really respect it is Stefan Terreblance, that guy is a better leader than anyone there in your valley.
Must be nice to have all that money to buy the top players…bastards!! 🙂 Lucky we have lots and lots of ….emmmmm mielies in the Freetate. 🙂
Hoekom sukkel die bulle so om hulle eie swart talent te ontwikkel. Hulle moet leer dat jy nie sukses kan koop nie, dit moet ontwikkel word.
😆
bdb wrote:
Wat soek shadow se naam tussen die klomp. Hy is average!
#37 Snoek, jy support mos die sharks nê? O ja ek het vergeet, Vrystaat is ‘n voorstad van Natal! 🙂
37: jou rassis ! 😉
38: hy is tans net ‘n ‘shadow’ van die speler wat hy vroeër in die S14 was, maar sal regkom. Hy het meer talent in hom as al die vleuels, nee, al die agterspelers saam, daar in Durban …..
@ bdb 40:
Mvovu?
Tripples wrote:
Ja, vrystaat is ons onderdorp 😆
Snoek wrote:
Skaam jou, Snoek. ek sou darem gedink hetdit is een van julle suburbs.
So gaan die bulle die semis haal? Hulle sukkel maar lekker deesdae. Gelukig is die “chasers” so swak dat die bulle met “default” sal inkom. 😉
@ biltongbek:
😆 Wat kan ek sê, dit is soos dit is.
This is good news, hopefully he can keep up his trying scoring rate with us!
@ Snoek:
Voor die eerste Currie Beker wen van die Sharks, was jy ook een van daai wat in die “closet” gecheer het?
Snoek wrote:
Het jy nou vir een oomblik gedink ons gaan nie 😀 wishful thinking. Julle kan seker nie jul span versterk met die Bokke nie.
biltongbek wrote:
Nee ek was toe nie. Gebore, grootgeword en bly in Natal. Het vir paar jaar in PTA gebly, maar sodom en cremora was nie vir my nie.
@ superBul:
Bissie, beast, JPP en adi jacobs sal ‘n moerse verskil maak.
@ Snoek:
Dankie tog, die paar jare in Pretoria het jou nie n’ Bulls supporter gemaak nie. F@kken trots op jou. In my kinderdae was die “Blou Force” sterk in die afrikaner gemeenskap. n’ man moet sterk kan staan wanneer jou pa vir jou se:” Luke, a Bull is your Father” en dan haal hy ook nog asem soos iemand wat Tractor Tyres gerook het toe hy klein was.
@ biltongbek:
😆
My beste en slegste rugby belewenis was teen die bulle.
Altwee vleuels.
Tony watson 🙂
Bryan Habana 😥
@ Snoek:
Het hulle darem nou al vir Tony n’ standbeeld pgerig daar in Natal?
Hoekom het die sharks nie destyds vir Habana gekoop nie?
weet nie hoekom die guppies nou weer torring nie maar basson is by die griquas gekontrakteer nie by die cheetahs nie en daar is met griquas onderhandel voor basson ingetrek is die haaie het soos n dief gekom en mapoe try steel soos die skelms wat hulle is,wys jou net jy kan nie n ingilsman vertrou nie
Nee kyk, die BBRU weet wat hulle doen, hulle koop die opkomende sterre, en na die sterre vir hul so paar super en curriebekers help wen het, dan laat hulle hul aftree daar by die see op kus-unies se kostes.
‘n Bul weet van plan maak.
@ smallies72:54 😆
Smallies….hehehehe. Nie a engilsman wat koop ons speelers by die Sharks..hehehe. MAAR Straueli!!!!!! Hy is Afrikaans… 😉
#56 and he is a Pretoria Boykie!!!! hahahaha maybe he is an Agent for the BBRU, trying to discredit the guppies? 🙂
Feit is, as Mapoe vir Sharks gaan uitdraf, gaan dit baie onsmaaklike verhoudings veroorsaak tussen sekere rugby-unies. Kan al die agente en onderhandelaars nie maar vir ‘n kursus na Pta gestuur word sodat hulle kan leer om die dinge ordentlik en volgens die reëls te doen nie ?
@ Tripples:Ja, True that Tripps…hehehe
bdb wrote:
Ek wil nou nie jou babbel bars nie, maar ek wonder of jy weet dat die opkomende ster klaar ‘n springbok is.
So jy moet eintlik sê; Ons koop sterre, speel al die talent uit hulle uit oor ‘n paar seisoene (Habana), en voer hulle dan uit met ‘n vroom gesiggie.
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