Bulls building towards the heights of Super era
SPOTLIGHT: On the global stage he was the ultimate Lions slayer. Now record-breaking Springbok and Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn is ready to start putting back into the game.
Steyn, 37, retired from international rugby last year, but will remain a key member of the Bulls squad till at least June next year.
“I just want to enjoy my rugby at the Bulls,” he said in an interview as part of the build-up to the ‘Father and Son Campout‘ at Loftus Versfeld on the weekend of March 5 and 6.
“I have maybe two years left in me, and then I’ll probably be finished,” he said, adding: “We have a great team vibe at the Bulls.
“There is a bright future for this team in the United Rugby Championship.
“It honestly feels like we’re back at that stage of Super Rugby from 2007 to 2010, where we’re building up a nice team.
“I think there is a great balance between the youngsters and experienced players like myself and Bismarck du Plessis and Marcell Coetzee.
“And I just want to enjoy my time there.”
In the meantime, he is also working on his role as a father.
In an era when men are constantly being told to ‘Be All You Can Be’, Steyn has chosen to ‘Be That Dad’.
He wants to be that dad who shows up, that dad who stands on the sidelines of a school rugby field and helps his boys kick for posts.
And who maybe also lends a hand to a few other boys who’ll inevitably join in.
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“Whenever I want to kick a bit with my boys, then all the other kids want to join in.
“And that’s great.
“Then the dads also want to get involved and have a nice rugby chat.”
He’ll make time to have those chats, because Morné Steyn knows exactly what it means to all of them – himself included – to be part of this rugby family.
With the Bulls, he was a member of the team that won Super Rugby in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In 2009 and 2010, he was the leading point scorer in Super 14.
In the 2009 semifinal against the Crusaders, he kicked four drop goals, a league record for a single game.
He featured in 200-odd games for the Bulls in Super Rugby and domestic competitions.
From 2013 to 2020, he played for Stade Français in the Top 14 and European competitions – amassing 135 caps for the Paris-based outfit.
His exploits in the Springbok jersey is well-documented – unprecedented series-winning performances against the British and Irish Lions in 2009 and 2021.
In August 2009, when South Africa beat New Zealand 31–19 in their 2009 Tri-Nations match in Durban, Steyn scored all of the Springboks’ 31 points (eight penalty kicks, as well as converting his own try), in only his fifth Test cap and his second Test start.
This broke several records, among them the record for the most points by an individual in a Tri-Nations match, previously held by Andrew Mehrtens.
Steyn scored the most points by a player at the 2011 World Cup, 62 points.
Steyn is notable for boasting a host of records.
He is the fastest player to hit 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 points for the Springboks.
Source of quotes: @BlueBullsRugby
