Bulls rise from the ashes to be champions ... almost

LAST year, the Blue Bulls were staring at possible liquidation. Fast forward to November 2020 and they are Super Rugby Unlocked champions in waiting.

It has been a whirlwind ride this year for Bulls president Willem Strauss. A failed Super Rugby campaign in February and March saw the Bulls languishing second-last in the South African Conference, with just six points from a lone victory and five defeats.

Coach Pote Human was eventually let go, and Jake White was brought in as the new director of rugby and head coach.

But the clean-out didn’t end there. White brought some new faces into the coaching staff, such as defence guru Joey Mongalo and former Bulls head coach Nollis Marais to concentrate on the breakdowns, while Russell Winter returned to Pretoria as the forwards coach.

The Bulls also made a number of shrewd player signings, including the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Jacques van Rooyen.

Off the pitch, Strauss and his executive opted for a young new chief executive in Edgar Rathbone and the fresh group of soldiers set about returning the glory to Loftus.

But it nearly didn’t get to that point. Dwindling crowd attendances over the last few years and a lack of silverware meant that financial challenges were real during 2019.

In stepped Mamelodi Sundowns boss and mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, who cut a deal with the Bulls company and fellow businessman Johann Rupert to claim a joint-majority 37% shareholding last November.

“We are all feeling the same pain because of Covid-19, so there’s no difference between us and the next guy. (But) I can tell you one thing

– if we did not do the deal with Mr Motsepe and Mr Rupert last year, I think we would’ve been closed down – seriously. I can put it like that,” Strauss said yesterday.

Despite the Unlocked title being virtually in the bag, Strauss still spoke cautiously about yesterday’s developments.

The cancellation of the SharksStormers game means that the Bulls only have a highly unlikely chance of missing out on the title – the Pumas would have to beat them by 43 points on Saturday for the Stormers to end on top on points difference.

“Champions in waiting – just to emphasise that, in waiting! Still need to get past Saturday, and a lot of things can still happen. We saw what happened between the Pumas (Argentina) and All Blacks. But it’s looking good,” Strauss said.

“From my perspective, it’s an absolutely brilliant way for the Bulls to say farewell to Super Rugby, by winning Super Rugby Unlocked.”