I found this article written by Ben Karpinski from www.thebounce.co.za , and thought I would post it ad verbatim. I post it not because I want to continue the daft pink debate, but rather to end it. Thank you Ben, good article
www.thebounce.co.za
The big talking point of the beginning of this year’s SupeRugby tournament was that the Bulls’ second strip would be pink. The jokes and photo shopped images rolled out thick and fast, no doubt to the joy of kit sponsor Puma who had created a huge talking point amongst SA rugby fans. But we all had to wait until week 6 to actually see them in it. And oh boy was it so much pinker than any of us could have imagined…
I thought nothing wrong of the pink jersey with ‘jacaranda’ zig zags on the front. But to add electric pink shorts and socks to the outfit was just so much to take in as they ran out of the Newlands tunnel this past Saturday.
The Newlands Faithful, always up for a bit of a vocal welcome for their old foes, found it hard to not add a bit of laughter to the usual boos just before the kick off of SA rugby’s biggest derby. The Sharks dabbled with a bit of pink in their jerseys for charity recently, but it was a weak effort and just looked like one of Ross Skeate’s red g-strings had run into the white of the jerseys in the team wash. The Bulls however, well when Puma said they were going to make them pink they were telling no pork pies. They looked like giant Vanish bottles! Twitter was abuzz with a throng of jokes on the subject, at one stage ‘binnepoespink’ was even trending in SA! I myself couldn’t help but let a few one liners fly during what was certainly a landmark moment in SA Rugby.
Now I have always admired the Bulls. As a staunch WP/Stormers supporter, they are without doubt the pinnacle in SA opposition for me, but more than that I admire their success, their rugby culture and most of all how they can properly ‘klap’ an opponent. I have mentioned before that people are smoking their socks when they say they play boring rugby. Remember in 2007 when they had to beat the Reds by 80 something in the last game of the season to make the semis? Ya, they proceeded to win 92-3 and went onto win the trophy. In the 2009 final they thrashed the Chiefs 61-17 and in 2010 they started their season off by scoring 199 points in their first four games!
They get a lot of stick and are the butt of many a joke, but seldom do they actually get the credit that they really deserve. As my team’s no.1 enemy, I shall always pull the piss and bad mouth them, that’s called rivalry and being a sports fan, but at any given stage I will gladly call a spade a spade and admit my admiration for them.
There are many stereotypes around the Bulls. Boring, one dimensional, supported by a bunch of ‘boneheads’… The list can go on forever and in parts it’s perhaps true, but this pink outfit thing is just further evidence that they are probably our most progressive team and one that deserves credit for it.
Remember when Emperor Sepp took away their stadium in 2010? They then took their own kind of awesome to Soweto and painted South Africa’s most well known township blue with success and fanfare that had never been seen there before. I went to Orlando Stadium when they bent the Crusaders over their knee in the 2010 Super 14 semi – it was a bloody brilliant experience. Okay, they haven’t been back there and they really should (especially in pink), but let’s not go off topic for now.
You want to knock them for the Steve Hofmeyer songs and playing of ‘Simply the Best’ on occasions? That’s called catering for your target market – would you knock the playing of ‘Make the Circle bigger’ at the Athlone Stadium during a PSL game? You want to knock the supporters in their Bulls hard hats with actual animal horns protruding? Well bulls have horns and a fair amount of their supporters hang out on farms with firearms and wildlife, so ya, the head gear may just be a little more realistic than you like.
How about braai’ing and drinking copious amounts of brandy and coke prior to the match? No really, coastal people mock that vibe – my answer to that it is you simply haven’t lived until you have clogged your arteries and rendered yourself absolutely useless to operate heavy machinery before a big game of rugby. Nod your head – you know this.But back to the pink kit, can you imagine the meetings that took place to make this happen. Things like this need to be passed by the board. Puma didn’t just sneak that kit into the changerooms, it was approved and supported, that’s progressive. Sure the jokes will continue to fly, and in the case of Pierre Spies I think the effeminate colour of the jersey really reflects his contribution as a forward. But at the end of the day appreciate the fact that the Bulls are far from boring, far from set in their ways and symbols of a bygone era. They are in many ways the changing face of SA rugby, and though not perfect (doos who threw the bottle at Mealamu etc etc) they are an icon of SA rugby that should be celebrated.You don’t have to agree with me, nor am I suggesting we should all love each others teams. But something that I love about SA rugby is that there are always positives out there that we often fail to appreciate. The Bulls being one of them.I wish the Bulls nothing but the best for the rest of the season, but now it’s over to you.
.
binne_____pienk
daai kan net uit ñ *Kapenaar se bek kom!!
..
wou gesê het Coloured, but nettou watch the darkside vi o’s
en
dan beskullag hulle my nettou daa’van dat ekke mos nou hier wit gewo’tit!!
Ek is nie ‘n bul ondersteuner nie, maar as ek was sou ek glad nie gelukkig gewees het met die pienk uitrusting nie. Dit lyk uiters kak, en maak die oë seer. Kom bulle, trek tenminste ‘n ander kleur broek en kouse aan om daai pienk te breuk.
snoooeeeeeeeeeeek!!
howzit broetsie … gedog jy’t al die tydelike met die ewige verwissel!!
snoek @ 3
stem saam. ek het nie eens in my wildste drome kon dink dat hulle soooooooooo pienk gaan wees nie!! lol
@ Ashley:
Nee leef darem nog. Blog nie meer so baie soos in die verlede nie. Lees darem so af en toe nog die nuus.
Hoe lyk dinge daar by julle? Stormers is warm die jaar.
snoek @ 6
ai man, moenie te gou praat nie, daai kas is nog steeds leeg. hoor dis waarvoor ons sponsor se afkorting in elk geval staan:
DHL: Dis Heeltemal Leeg 😆
Ek dink die SA spanne lyk goed die jaar, wonder wie Heyneke gaan kies.
Interesante tye wat voorlê.
@ Ashley:
Julle moet net twee wen oorsee dan is julle amper daar.
snoek @ 8
ek stem saam. baie opgewonde oor ons toekoms, veral met die jong spelers wat deurkom. tyd dat ons bietjie dinge begin oorheers!!
snoek @ 9
tawwe toer wat voorlê:
dink dis higlanders, crusaders, reds, force … gaan moeilik wees, maar ek dink ons kan die ding doen.
ok, to everyone playing superbru …. please remember that the first game of the weekend is on Thursday (Rebels vs Blues).
12 @ Ashley:
O my flok…. I’ll still be away in Oudtshoorn, so I better pick for that one then before I leave to go.
I would also have to get Kickers or somebody to do the LIVE GAME ARTICLE, in total for us for Thursday’s game!
Thanks for the heads-up!
gbs @ 13
no problem!! ook dit maar net agtergekom omdat die verneuker daai game blaas!! 😀
13@ grootblousmile:No problem, any excuse to get out of the cellar for a few days!
The New Ballz Visual Radio – http://www.ballz.co.za. With Darren Scott, John Walland, William Scott, Simon Hill, Nicole Flint, Mazz Landman and Saaha Martinengo. Just up online. Loads of music and sports, the radio of the future, try it
jfk @ 15
good to see darren scott is welcomed somewhere!!
@ Ashley:I much prefer Darren on radio, it’s a lekker station!!!!
Geluk aan die Cheetahs, Sharks en Stormers met hul wenne die naweek.
Die Nuweland derby was kliphard en kon enige kant toe gaan, maar die Stormers het verdien om te wen omdat hulle hul kanse beter gebruik het, en hul dissipline en verdediging tops was. Jong Bulle nog te wisselvallig en dissipline probleme, maar dit sal verbeter in die toekoms, die 19 drieë vir en 6 teen is ‘n goeie teken, ook al die bonuspunte. Groot wedstryde vir albei spanne die naweek, dink die Stormers teiken die oorsese been vir die bonuspunte.
Oor die pienk trui storie, hier is my skrywe op die Bulle blog aan die BBRU.
Ek het dit geskryf voor ek die ‘the bounce’ artikel hier bo gelees het. Net twee punte van kritiek teen die artikel:
1. Spies is by verre die beste agsteman in SA hierdie seisoen.
2. Die skrywer het skoon vergeet om die 75-14 telling tussen die Bulle en Stormers van 2005 by te voeg 😉 Maar soos die voorspelers van die Stormers nou begin lyk, glad nie meer ‘n light five nie, en veral met Kolisi en Etzebeth, gaan ons nie vinnig weer so telling sien nie, die toekomstige wedstryde tussen hierdie twee spanne gaan rillers afgee.
Hier is my brief:
Beste Barend en die res van die BBRU bestuur,
As ‘n ander span ons op die dag wen deur ‘n twyfelagtige strafskop wat enige kant toe kon gaan, en dit in ‘n wegwedstryd, dan vat ‘n mens dit op die kinnebak. Ons eie dissipline het ons in die steek gelaat en met ‘n bietjie meer afronding het ons gewen, wat ‘n baie groot wen sou gewees het. Maar, dit is nie te erg nie, ek is nie bekommerd nie, hierdie nuwe span gaan nog ‘n grote word, dit glo en hoop ek. Ek is opgewonde oor die afrigters en spelers, bou voort, sommer Saterdag weer.
Wat ‘n getroue blou bul ondersteuner egter nie kan vat nie, is dat ons ons eie naam met ons eie geld en eie borge tottie maak voor die hele wêreld, en dit alles vrywilliglik ook. As hier nie kinders was wat hier gelees het nie, sou ek gesê het: ons draai pienkagtig om, om ‘geviolate’ te word met die pienk trui gedagte. Maar ek sal dit nie hardop sê nie.
Het julle gesien hoe skaam kry ons eie spelers vir daardie vieslike pienk trui, ja dit is vieslik laat iemand dit nou maar reguit sê, ‘ban’ my maar as julle wil. Hoe kan julle ons jong seuns, die helde van jong kannetjies so verneder en dit nogal voor ons aartsvyande hier in SA ?
Ek kon dit in die spelers se oë sien toe hul in daardie pajamas moes uitdraf, hulle kry skaam, maar moet maar dra want die base sê so. Dit is soos om in ‘n aandpak die gala swemkompetisie te wil gaan wen.
Ek wil nie raas nie, ek wil nie baklei nie, maar ek vra regtig mooi: verander daardie trui so gou as moontlik, dit is ons trotse unie en span nie waardig nie. Julle as bestuur het al sulke skitterende besluite geneem, goeie spelers gekoop, die Soweto finaal in 2010, goeie afrigters gekry, ens ens., maar, die pienk trui gedagte gaan NOOIT maar nooit werk nie, al wen ons 10 supertitels, pienk gaan nie werk nie. Ons maak almal foute in die lewe, spelers maak foute, skeidsregters maak foute, en … bestuurspanne en direkteurs en borge maak foute, dit vat ‘n man .. dit vat ‘n ware BUL om sy foute te erken, reg te maak en voort te gaan.
So ek vra mooi asb – en ek dink ek spreek namens baie ander getroue bulle ondersteuners – verander asb die trui, nou onmiddelik, praat met die borge, en as dit vir julle nou ‘n geld saak is, sal ons as ondersteuners met graagte bydra en help om ons span in ordentlike blou/wit weg rugbytruie te wil sien, soos dit pas by die spel. Ons het klaar – omdat ons die beste rugbyunie in die wêreld is – genoeg teenstand van die res van die wêreld, ons het nie nog nodig om onsself vrywillig uit te gee vir ‘n toffie om gekou te word nie, om gespot te word nie, veral nie oorsee waar dit baie moeiliker is om te wen nie.
Hoop my brief bereik die bestuur, en dat ek dit goed bedoel. Asb, ons wil nie ‘n ‘Red die BLOU Bul campaign’ begin nie !
BLOU bul groete
BendieBul
Francois Hougaard on Ballz Radio at the moment
In the original article, Dave says:
April 2, 2012 at 8:28 am
They also had the Red bulls jersey last year’s which caused a stir! I’m not sold on the pink cows, I think psychologically it hurt them over the weekend, no matter how much they told themselves that it was great marketing and created a buzz, I think when they ran out they were thinking, damn I fell like a complete tool in this jersey instead of feeling proud and pumped up!! Time will tell on their tour if it has the desired effect, I think it will be adverse. As you pointed out I wish the bulls success over all the other overseas teams being a Sharks supporter, I support all the other SA teams, and then all the other SA teams that play the Bulls
Gerhard says:
April 2, 2012 at 1:03 pm
My personal opinion is that it only is for puma an advertising medium and they do not care about the Bulls brand and only about the publicity that they can get.
20@ superBul:I saw the comments, but deliberately left them out. I also listened to a good interview with Hougie on the radio yesterday, where he said that the colour of the jersey didn’t shroud their thinking running out onto the pitch on Saturday, the team are far too professional for that.
I agree that it is all about marketing – the reason Puma sponsor the Bulls is to promote their brand, and how well they did that – there is a waiting list for the pink jersey, and is currently selling 6 times faster than the normal blue jersey. A success story? Absolutely. I think Puma got this one spot on.
Dis JARE sedert ek ordentelik hier gepost het, so laat ek maar weg trek.
Ek moet saam met die skrywer van die artikel stem.
Die Bulls weet hoe om dinge reg te doen. Ek onthou so 15 jaar gelede, toe hulle uiters kuk was, en hulle van voor/onder moes begin. Dit het begin by die Vodacom Cup, Anton Leonard en daai manne.
Maar terselfde tyd was daar ‘n ad campaign met die spelers in ‘n hanger en veg vliegtuie en al sulke dinge.
Nou is daar al die Bulls magazine etc.
Hulle kon nie vir niks ‘n groter aanbod aan Engelbrecht en Sadie maak as die Stormers self nie.
Oor die pink truie… wel, ek dink mens ka nou se “jou ma se puma”. Die sokkies en brokkies kon darem pers. FFS. Ek like jakarandas. Ek dink hulle is ongelooflik mooi, en een van die (min) redes hoekom ek van Pta. hou. En die idiee om dit na die truie te bring is cool. Maar maak dit dan pers.
Maar ek dink sielkundig is dit nie die beste idiee nie.
In sport sielkunde speel jy altyd beter as jy teen ‘n span in rooi speel, want dit maar jou meer aggresief. Swart maak jou banger.
Pink, wel ek dink net dat GEEN span wil se “ons het teen die ouens in pink verloor” nie.
In elk geval, best of luck vir die Bulls die naweek.
Ja, ja… ek dink almal is ‘n spul vroue verneukende, kokaien snuifende, polisieman vermorende, bottel gooiende idiote. Maar die Bulls bly deel van SA en SA rugby.
Slefde gaan vir die mercenary span van SA, die Sharks.
Kom ons kry 3 spanne in die top 6 vanjaar. ASB.
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