As one of Super Rugby’s foundation clubs in 1996, the Blue Bulls made the finals in their maiden year going down to the Auckland Blues. What followed was a very lean period for the Bulls, who finished with the Wooden Spoon on three occasions between 1999 and 2002. Recent times however have seen the Bulls make consecutive finals appearances in 2005 and 2006, culminating in a maiden Super Rugby title in 2007 against the Sharks.
The Bulls racked up 50 points for the third time this season in thrashing the Highlanders 50-35 and reclaiming the lead in Super 14 rugby on Saturday.
Although they scored seven tries, the Bulls conceded five to the Highlanders.
Fullback Israel Dagg grabbed a hat-trick and kicked two conversions for a personal tally of 22 points.
But a [...] Read article
The Waratahs have gone down 48-38 to the Bulls in a thrilling Super 14 rugby match in Pretoria.
New South Wales scored the first 17 points and led 26-10 in the first half.
The defending champion Bulls scored six tries to four and are top of the ladder after starting their title defence with three bonus point [...] Read article
The Waratahs are wary of the kicking game of the formidable Bulls, who boast one player who that has scored more points than the entire NSW team heading into the Super 14 rugby clash in Pretoria.
The defending champion Bulls are the only team with two bonus-point wins from the first two rounds and have already [...] Read article
Preview of the third round of the Super 14 (all times AEDT).
FRIDAY
CRUSADERS v SHARKS at AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 5.35pm
Last meeting: Crusaders 13 bt Sharks 10 at Durban
The fall-out from the Crusaders’ surprise loss to Queensland has seen All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw, via the bench, rush back a week early from his early-year rest [...] Read article
Springbok five-eighth Morne Steyn piled up 35 points as the Bulls produced an overpowering second half display to beat the Brumbies 50-32 in their Super 14 rugby match in Pretoria.
The Bulls scored five tries to three and hit back after trailing 27-20 early in the second half early Sunday, Australian time.
The defending champion Bulls then [...] Read article
Brumbies coach Andy Friend will be looking for greater discipline from his star-studded side as it faces the ultimate Super 14 rugby litmus test against the defending champion Bulls in Pretoria.
The powerful South African side have won their last 12 home games and have not been vanquished on their own turf since the 2008 season.
Each [...] Read article
The defending champion Bulls opened their Super 14 title defence by scoring a bonus point in a 51-34 win over the Cheetahs on Friday.
The Bulls scored tries through Jaco Pretorius, Morne Steyn, Gerhard van den Heever, Zane Kirchner and Wynand Olivier and also awarded a penalty try at Vodacom Park.
Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn scored 24 [...] Read article
Most of the Springbok squad comes from the Bulls and Sharks, with ten of the Super 14 champions represented and the same number for South Africa’s second strongest Super 14 team, the Sharks.
25 of the 28 men selected toured with the Springbok side that travelled the Northern Hemisphere at the end of 2008 [...] Read article
In the final moments of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, the match, which had see-sawed for almost 100 minutes, was finally decided by an ice-cold Jonny Wilkinson field goal.
In that moment, Wilkinson entered rugby mythology as the architect of an England triumph.
In 1991, David Campese sliced across field and darted inside John Kirwan [...]
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has insisted Queensland’s future remains in safe hands despite being angered by the defection of rising prop Laurie Weeks to the Melbourne Rebels.
On a dramatic day, starting with the surprise exclusion of veteran centre Morgan Turinui from the 26-man tour squad to South Africa, Weeks was announced as the Rebels’ first [...]
NSW coach Chris Hickey may be forced to accelerate plans to rotate his squad, with injury doubts over two members of his pack for Saturday’s Super 14 clash with Western Force in Perth.
Neither No.8 Wycliff Palu (hamstring) or prop Al Baxter (calf) ran at training on Thursday and were struggling to be fit enough in [...]
Western Force coach John Mitchell has named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday’s Super 14 clash with NSW in Perth, believing his players deserve the chance to atone for last week’s 50-10 pummelling at the hands of Queensland.
The Force sit last on the table with no points from their four games.
And despite the Force’s horror [...]
Super 14 preview panel for this weekend’s round six match (all times AEDT).
FRIDAY
BLUES v BRUMBIES at Eden Park, Auckland at 5.35pm
Last meeting: Brumbies 37 bt Blues 15 at Canberra
The Brumbies have slowly risen to equal fourth by grinding out four tight wins. They face a massive test here to continue their streak with the Blues [...]
And yes, semi is intended both ways. While most will agree the Sharks season is a bust, there is no reason to write them off just yet.
41 points was all that the Crusaders required for a 4th place finish in last year’s edition of the competition.
41 points also saw the Hurricanes through in [...]
Skipper Keven Mealamu wants to see the Blues do the business first before he celebrates a personal Super 14 rugby milestone on Friday night.
The match against the Brumbies will be the All Black hooker’s 100th for the Blues, extending the franchise record he broke when he got to 98 in the win over the Reds [...]
The Waratahs have unsurprisingly stuck with the combination that thrashed the Lions in their last Super 14 start for Saturday’s clash with the Western Force in Perth.
Despite some injury concerns it is the third week in a row that coach Chris Hickey has retained the same 22-man squad.
Hickey said that he was monitoring the work [...]
Record-breaking Reds hooker Sean Hardman is battling for minutes on the paddock and he couldn’t be happier.
Hardman still has the desire and drive to see out his 12-season Super rugby career as a starting player but the 141-cap Queensland stalwart is pleased young rake Saia Faingaa has epitomised the born-again Reds.
Faingaa and his twin Anthony [...]
Headlines have read that Waratahs prop Dan Palmer is heading to the Brumbies next season due to “the teams’ direction” and “regular game time” as he sits behind Baxter, Robinson and Kepu.
I might be over-simplifying this, but looking at the Brumbies, they have Alexander (who, if fit, will always start), Ma’afu and Sheperdson on the [...]
