Bulls

History of the Bulls

Prior to the creation of the professional Super Rugby competition, the Bulls competed in the Super 10 tournament as Northern Transvaal. In the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1993, they finished third. However, they failed to qualify for the next two editions of the tournament.

When rugby union went professional in 1996, the tournament was restructured as the Super 12 and Australia and New Zealand both created new franchises to compete in the tournament. Meanwhile, South Africa continued to choose the Currie Cup to decide which teams would play in the Super 12 each season. However, prior to the 1998 tournament, South Africa followed suit and the Bulls rugby franchise was born.

Sadly, between 1998 and 2003, the Bulls rugby team performed poorly in the competition. In fact, in 2002, they didn't win a single match. However, two 6th place finishes in 2003 and 2004 turned the tide for the franchise. Then, in 2005, they officially became the Vodacom Bulls for sponsorship purposes. 

When the Super 12 rebranded as the Super 14 in 2006, the Vodacom Bulls rugby side was transformed. Although the team lost at the semi-final stage of the inaugural season of the Super 14 tournament, they won the competition the next year. They then went on to claim back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Sadly, the 2010 triumph was the last success for the Bulls rugby side and they never reached the final again after the competition was rebranded as Super Rugby. However, they did win the South African conference in 2013.

In 2020, the Super Rugby season was suspended because the coronavirus pandemic prevented overseas travel. Instead, the South African sides featured in a Super Rugby Unlocked tournament, which the Vodacom Bulls rugby team won. Following this, SA Rugby announced that the South African rugby franchises would be withdrawing from future Super Rugby tournaments. As a result, in 2021, the Vodacom Bulls side played in the newly-formed Pro14 Rainbow Cup before taking part in the inaugural edition of the United Rugby Championship. They’ve played in this competition ever since and have reached the final on three occasions. Sadly, they’ve lost all three times.

Over the years, several stars of South African rugby have played for the Vodacom Bulls rugby team. They include former South Africa captain Victor Matfield, scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen and 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Handré Pollard.

Could this be the year that the Vodacom Bulls rugby team finally wins their first United Rugby Championship? Find out with the rugby gurus at RugbyPass.