The Border Bulldogs is a South African professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
team that participates in the annual
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premi ...
and
Vodacom Cup competitions. They are governed by the Border Rugby Union (BRU) and are based in
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...
.
History
The Border Rugby Football Union governs rugby in the
eastern third of the Eastern Cape province, including two former African homelands,
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...
and
Ciskei
Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian O ...
. The team is based in East London and play at the Buffalo City Stadium. They form part of the
Southern Kings Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
franchise.
Border were one of the founding members of the Currie Cup, having been established in 1891, but have only won the prestigious competition twice, in 1932 and 1934. They also won the Vodacom Shield in 2003.
In 1995, following the introduction professionalism in rugby, the team adopted the nickname the Bulldogs. The team have struggled since they were relegated to the Currie Cup First Division in 2000, never being promoted to the Premier Division. They average crowds of 3,500 to Currie Cup first division games, however they can attract much larger crowds when they take on their fiercest and closest rivals, the
Eastern Province Elephants
The Eastern Province Elephants (known as the Multisure Eastern Province Elephants for sponsorship reasons) are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge competitions. They are governed by the ...
.
In-fighting and financial crisis
In 2013, a dispute arose between the Border Rugby Union and the Border Rugby (Pty) Ltd, the professional arm of the BRFU which administers the Bulldogs. The dispute was in relation to a perceived lack of transformation at the Bulldogs, who claimed local amateur black players were not good enough for the professional side. As a result, in June of that year, the BRFU refused to release any of their club players to play for the Bulldogs.
In September and October, television broadcasting money paid by
SARU to the BRFU was not given to the Bulldogs, resulting in players' salaries not being paid, coach
Paul Flanagan
Paul Flanagan (born 16 September 1992) is an Irish Hurling, hurler. At club he plays with Ballyea GAA, Ballyea, while he has also lined out at inter-county level with various Clare GAA, Clare teams.
Playing career
Flanagan first played hurling ...
leaving and the Border Academy being shut down.
At the start of 2014, the BRFU announced that it was bankrupt.
In March 2014, the
South African Rugby Union withdrew their financial support due to a lack of audited financial records.
It culminated in the
South African Rugby Union taking control of the team's financial and administrative affairs in December 2014, with the intention of handing control back to BRFU officials once the situation has been normalised.
Current squad
The following players were included in the Border Bulldogs squad for the
2022 Currie Cup First Division
The 2022 Currie Cup First Division was the 84th edition of the Currie Cup. As the second-tier of the competition, it ran alongside the 2022 Currie Cup Premier Division. It was sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organised by the Sout ...
:
See also
*
Southern Kings
References
External links
Official website
{{Border Bulldogs squad
South African rugby union teams
East London, Eastern Cape
Sport in the Eastern Cape