Bulls Rugby

Prior to the creation of the professional Super Rugby competition, the Bulls competed as Northern Transvaal in the Super 10. 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 went professional in 1996, the tournament was restructured and Australia and New Zealand both created new franchises. 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 game. However, two 6th place finishes in 2003 and 2004 turned the tide for the franchise.

When the Super 12 rebranded as the Super 14 in 2006, the 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 Bulls 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 Bulls Rugby side will play in the newly-formed PRO14 Rainbow Cup before taking part in an expanded PRO16 tournament.