Glasfit
According to the Sunday Times, the Lions Rugby Union have turned to their own vice-president as the new investor in the union since their deal with the Guma Group turned sour.
In an official press release the Blue Bulls Company Pty (Ltd), have announced the signing from DHL Western Province of promising youngster and flyhalf, Lionel Cronje.
Rugby player Bees Roux, convicted of culpable homicide last week, should know this week if his suspension from the Blue Bulls would be lifted, according to a report on Monday.
The Blue Bulls Company Pty (Ltd) is pleased to announce that Johann Sadie and JJ Engelbrecht have signed two year contracts (till 31 October 2013) with the Vodacom Bulls.
The Blue Bulls Company Pty (Ltd) is pleased to announce several new additions to its current coaching staff, as well as the long term appointment of Heyneke Meyer as Executive: Rugby.
The succession battle for the captaincy of the Bulls will begin in earnest in the next few weeks as the former defending Super Rugby champions look for a worthy leader to take over the leadership reins from outgoing Bulls captain, Victor Matfield. Continue reading
Halfway through the first Super XV rugby season if you told me we would have three teams in the top half of the Combined Log, I wouldn’t have believed it.
The Stormers started the season well, The Bulls started off and narrowly beat the Lions and Cheetahs, the Sharks looked like they were trudging through thick mud, and well the Cheetahs and Lions looked like they were once gain going to fill the bottom of the Log.
Bulls (13) 23 / Sharks (16) 26 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls hosted the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In a battle royal, the Sharks were victorious, snatching a place in the play-off’s with a 3-point win.
This match was an advertisement for rugby!
We are reaching the end of the line for nine of the 15 teams in the 2011 Super Rugby season. So many if’s and but’s happened this year and with the last week having so many permutations one can call the new format a success. Some teams made a mess of their draw and other exploited it better. Let me sum up what I enjoyed this year and what I did not.
Bulls lock Bakkies Botha will play in his 100th Super Rugby match for his team when they take on the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls have confirmed that scrum half and winger Francois Hougaard will not be leaving the Bulls before October 2012.
I had to borrow this slogan from the Varsity Cup simply because it best describes why some teams seem to be on the up, and others going down.
The Vodacom Bulls are set to bring back two of their big guns – Springboks Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez – to face the Sharks in their final Vodacom Super Rugby league match at Loftus on Saturday.
Stormers (3) 16 / Bulls (6) 19 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers hosted the Vodacom Bulls at Newlands, Cape Town at 18:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
This game cannot be described as rugby, it was rather trench warfare… and the Bulls won the brutal war, revenging the Stormers win of earlier in the season at Loftus.
The Bulls were just simply better in the set pieces, the rest was all equal.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made one change to his starting line-up for Saturday’s Super Rugby clash against the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town.
Springbok and Bulls scrumhalf Fourie du Preez could make a surprise early comeback for the Bulls clash with the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.
A decision by the South African officials which was later proved to be incorrect may have helped the Waratahs to a 23-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria but the Waratahs left Pretoria with their pride in tact.
Bulls (13) 23 / Waratahs (6) 17 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls hosted the Waratahs at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match Thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Waratahs made quite a game of it and worried the Bulls throughout the match but in the end the Bulls won by 23 / 17, a slender 6-point margin.
Mission accomplished, 4 points in the bag for the Bulls, pity about the one point for the Waratahs.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke added close to 200 Super Caps to his side in making two changes for Friday night’s Super Rugby clash against the Waratahs at Loftus Versfeld.
Bulls (11) 32 / Cheetahs (0) 21 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls hosted the Toyota Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. The Bulls won in spectacular fashion but took a great risk at the end to go for the 4 try bonus point at all costs, leading with only 4 points at the time. In the 84th minute Francios Hougaart crashed over for the 4th try. The final score gives one the impression that it was an easy win, the fact are that if it went wrong the Cheetahs would have won this well contested match.
The Bulls have now moved to No 7 on the Combined Log, playing the Waratahs next, who is in No 6th spot, one point ahead of the Bulls.
Some players announce themselves on the rugby scene the moment they take the field in front of our television cameras, some take longer, but it is no less worth the wait!
The Bulls have a scrumhalf crisis ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld.
Having had their their first-choice No 9 Fourie du Preez ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury at the beginning of the week, the Bulls suffered a further blow when Francois Hougaard hurt his ankle in training on Tuesday.
It appears that the injury to Bulls scrumhalf Fourie du Preez is worse than initially thought, with scans revealing a grade 2 tear in the medial ligaments of the knee. This injury will not only keep him out of the weekend’s Super Rugby clash with the Cheetahs, but also for at least the rest of the league stages of the Super Rugby Competition.
Sharks (6) 23 / Bulls (23) 32 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Vodacom Bulls at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Bulls controlled the first half and to a large extent bullied the Sharks, only for the Sharks to show a huge amount of guts in the second half to try and claw the deficit back.
In the end, the Bulls won by 9 points, denying the Sharks any Log points, whilst earning 4 Log points.
Damn, double damn!
Bulls fly half Morne Steyn has been linked to a move to English Premiership Club Bath for next season as a replacement for Butch James.
With the Superugby season getting into the business end of the season, every weekend you will have major deciding clashes. Everyone might differ which one is the most important and this article is written from a South African perspective.
This weekend’s action starts with one of the biggies, the Blues and the Stormers, on Friday, and ends with the Sharks versus the Bulls in Durban on Saturday evening.
Bulls (40) 47 / Rebels (3) 10 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the Melbourne Rebels at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Bulls blitzed the Melbourne Rebels in the first half, scoring 6 tries to none, but the second half was a dour affair with lots of replacements disrupting all rythm in the game and therefor the second half only produced 7 points for each of the 2 sides.
Job done and mission accomplished by the Bulls, 5 Log points in the bag.
With six games left for the Bulls there is no room for another loss. But with so many permutations possible in this last six weeks of the league there might be a lifeline left , even if you lose a 6th game. Is that wishful thinking? Not really. Let me leave the jokes, the Bulls are now in a sudden death playoff.
Bulls (13) 43 / Chiefs (20) 27 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the Chiefs at Loftus Versveld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
After a shocker of a first half, the Bulls came out of the blocks in the second half to score 3 converted tries in 9 minutes, resulting in the fact that they built up a good lead and causing the Chiefs to play catch-up from thereon in.
They solidified their lead with great goal kicking by Morné Steyn and denied the Chiefs a single Log point.
Mission accomplished fot this week, now every week needs to be like this, a 5-pointer!
It never seizes to amaze me how South African rugby teams and coaches remain oblivious to such obvious solutions to their problems.
The hot topic this week seems to be the Bulls or more specifically the Bulls’ dramatic slump in form after their shock loss against the Western Force. Somehow this loss goes down a lot more dramatically than in 2008 (I think it was when they also lost in Perth against the Western Force). Continue reading
It is interesting to note the difference in reaction to two South African Super Rugby franchises which seem to be having the exact same problem.
The Bulls won’t even make it through to the knockout stages in defence of their Super rugby title, says former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick. And Fitzpatrick launched a scathing critique of the Pretoria-based team’s failings in this year’s Super 15, as they crashed to defeat against the Western Force in Perth.
Force (12) 26 / Bulls (15) 21 (Final Score)
The Western Force hosted the Bulls at NIB Stadium, Perth at 14:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Force won against a lacklustre and at most mid-table Bulls side.
Not good enough Bulls… simply aweful!
French Top 14 Rugby club Toulouse have revealed that they have signed All Black centre Luke McAlister, Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess and Springbok prop Gurthro Steenkamp for next season.