Bulls flag bearers for club rugby

SPOTLIGHT: The Blue Bulls Rugby Union’s new club competition, the Super League is another innovation from the Pretoria-based outfit to strengthen the game at an amateur level.

Make no mistake, without schools and club rugby, there would be no professional game.

BBRU president Willem Strauss feels that the new Super League tournament is important to nurture the talent of all kinds of players and coaches.

Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Strauss explained how beneficial this new tournament could be.

“The Super League is very important, not everyone has access to tertiary institutions.

“We are creating a platform for the late developer or the guy who is still working part-time.

“I think this tournament will be a platform to expose their talents, also for the coaches.”

Strauss believes that it is a win-win situation for the Bulls and the participating clubs who will be gunning it out for R500,000 in prize money when the competition kicks-off on February 15.

“At the Bulls, we are extremely lucky.

“The leadership – myself, Edgar Rathbone [CEO], and Jake White [Director of Rugby] are aligned.

“We share the same values and vision in terms of rugby and where we want to take the Bulls as a brand and the whole ecosystem.

“That has just created an incredible situation for us at professional and amateur levels.”

Strauss added: “By creating semi-professional competitions like the Super League, getting more commercial partners involved, and creating a product they [broadcasters and sponsors] want to buy in.

“It’s all about creating the right product.”

With additional reporting by Telecom Asia Sport