Pretoria - Springboks Flip van der Merwe and Arno Botha have returned to full training following a pectoral and hamstring injury respectively and will be considered for the Bulls Super Rugby match against the Reds at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. They will join the likes of Jan Serfontein and Handre Pollard, who missed last weekend's clash against the Lions. However, lock Victor Matfield has been ruled out for at least three weeks with a knee ailment. Jesse Kriel (ribs), Burger Odendaal …
Blue Bulls
Vodacom Bulls 43 (23) Cell C Sharks 35 (16)
The Vodacom Bulls outscored the Cell C Sharks by four tries to two as they recorded their first victory of the season by 43-35 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon. The home team had to dig deep though as ill-discipline meant the visitors’ Springbok flyhalf, Pat Lambie, kept the scoreboard ticking over with some pin-point goal kicking. His counterpart and fellow Springbok pivot, Handre Pollard, was also bang on target on the night. The Vodacom Bulls, who scored two tries in …
Vodacom Bulls 13 (10) Hurricanes 17 (9)
The Vodacom Bulls lost their second successive home match when the Hurricanes caused a minor upset by winning 17-13 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday evening. The last time the three-time champions lost consecutive matches at home was in rounds two and three in 2008. Incidentally, that was also the last year the ‘Canes won in Pretoria before this weekend. The home team could not get into gear and were heavily penalised by referee Andre Lees. These and other errors proved very costly in the …
Vodacom Bulls 44 (23) Brumbies 23 (6)
The Vodacom Bulls were at their brutal best as they dismantled the Brumbies and won a repeat of last year's Vodacom Super Rugby semi-final rather comfortably by 44-23 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday evening. The home team displayed a lot of patience on the attack and gradually broke down the Brumbies' defence. They took their chances well and scored some great tries, while never looking to force anything. Despite hunting the bonus point, which they got in the end, the Vodacom Bulls took every …
Force v Vodacom Bulls
The Vodacom Bulls' Australasian tour concludes in Perth on Saturday morning when they take on the high-flying Force. No South African side has won overseas yet, so this will be an ideal time for the Pretorians to make a statement as they aim to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Vodacom Bulls will not only be aiming for the first South African Vodacom Super Rugby victory abroad in 2014, but also to become the first non-Australian team to topple the Force when they square off in Perth on …
Steval Pumas vs Vodacom Blue Bulls
The pick of the Vodacom Currie Cup rugby matches in the North Section is between last year's runners-up, the Steval Pumas, and three-time champions, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, in Nelspruit. The Mpumalangans started the season with a solid win, but the team from Pretoria came up short last weekend and will be desperate to get their first win of 2014 against a side that beat them by two points last year. Vodacom Cup Rising Star - Ruwellyn Isbell (Steval Pumas): With speed to burn and a great …
Griquas: 26 – Blue Bulls: 24
The GWK Griquas held their nerve to edge out the Vodacom Blue Bulls 26-24 (halftime 17-13) following a frenetic ending to their Vodacom Cup North Section match at Loftus Versfeld B field in Pretoria on Saturday. Fullback Joe Jansen kicked two penalties in the last seven minutes with the winning kick coming in the last minute of the match to secure the win. The Griquas had held the lead until the 55th minute before a penalty from Bulls flyhalf Louis Fouche put the hosts into a 21-20 …
Toyota Cheetahs v Vodacom Bulls
No other team in the history of Vodacom Super Rugby have managed to make life as tough for the Toyota Cheetahs as the Vodacom Bulls. In their previous 11 encounters, the closest the team from Bloemfontein came to upstaging the Vodacom Bulls was on 25 February 2011, when the visitors snuck through with two points (25-23) in the Free State capital. Adriaan Strauss and his team will be looking to overturn this horror run of results against the Vodacom Bulls, but probably also won’t mind …
Under-19 Provincial Championship – Toyota Free State 14 (0) Vodacom Blue Bulls 52 (31)
The u19 Vodacom Blue Bulls top the table to earn a home semifinal. U19 log-leaders, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, got off to a strong start in their clash against the Toyota Free State in Bloemfontein, with the team earning their bonus point for four tries in the first half. With the momentum favouring the visitors and captain Jesse Kriel in top form with the boot, as he slotted over four conversions and a penalty in the first half, the Free State faced a tough task to sway proceedings in the …
Under-21 Provincial Championship – Toyota Free State 27 (12) Vodacom Blue Bulls 29 (20)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-21 team on Saturday booked an invaluable home semifinal in the Absa Under-21 Provincial Championship. The Toyota Free State produced a competitive performance in their clash against the Vodacom Blue Bulls despite trailing 20-12 at half time. The visitors, however, held their nerve despite Nardus van der Walt receiving a yellow card to hold onto their two-point lead for the victory and a resultant home semifinal. Three tries by the Blue Bulls to only two by the …