Rugby calendar bottleneck creates situation where Bulls are victims of own success

Matt Scott of Edinburgh tackled during the United Rugby Championship match between Vodacom Bulls and Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld on September 28, 2024 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

By Jon Cardinelli

10 Apr 2025

While the trendsetting Bulls brace for a potential 13-game stretch, the other three South African franchises have more leeway to rest and prepare their charges.

Consider this: If the Bulls qualify for the European Challenge Cup final as well as the United Rugby Championship (URC) final in the coming months, they will have played 13 games in as many weeks.

Back in 1996, 13 weeks constituted a full Super Rugby season. Nowadays, the South African franchises compete in the northern hemisphere, where the club season is three times as long as that of Super Rugby, and the best-performing teams are rewarded with a three-month slog at its climax.

Global powerhouses such as Leinster and Toulouse boast extensive squads and resources, and have what it takes to compete across the domestic and regional tournaments. The vast majority of the clubs in Europe and South Africa, however, are forced to target one specific tournament annually.

Player welfare is a factor, but so too is performance. No player can maintain a high standard for three months at a time, and in turn, no team comprising the same players can expect to peak at the back-end of the season.

Bulls The Bulls’ Cameron Hanekom is tackled by a Glasgow Warriors player during the United Rugby Championship final at Loftus Versfeld on 22 June 2024. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

Perennial problem

It’s a perennial problem that will not be resolved until there is an aligned rugby calendar that features more rest weeks and – if sanity prevails – shorter club seasons.

Right now, three of South Africa’s teams will have the luxury of focusing on one tournament.

The Lions, Sharks and Stormers have been knocked out of the European Cup competitions and as a result will have more opportunities to rest and manage their squads over the final four matches of the URC league phase.

All three remain in the running for the playoffs of that tournament – and for a place in next season’s Champions Cup.

The Bulls have been South Africa’s top-performing side this season. Jake White’s charges are ranked third in the URC and are the last remaining South African franchise in Europe.

The Bulls will travel to Edinburgh this Saturday to face the local Scottish side for a place in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals. If they win, they will remain in the tournament for at least another game – and will add another week to an already lengthy four-week tour.

The Bulls clash with Edinburgh during the United Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld on 28 September 2024. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

Duhan van der Merwe of Edinburgh is tackled by three Bulls players during their United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on 28 September 2024. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

If they lose, they will devote all of their energy to the subsequent URC matches against Munster and Glasgow. Without the additional challenge of competing in the Challenge Cup semifinals in early May – which will be staged in Europe – they will have a week off before facing Cardiff at Loftus Versfeld, and the Dragons at the same venue thereafter.

In that scenario, they won’t have to concern themselves with the Challenge Cup final, staged in Cardiff a week after the final URC fixture. They can use that extra week to prepare for a URC quarterfinal that should, if the Bulls accumulate sufficient log points over the last four games, be staged in Pretoria.

Indeed, if the Bulls fire on the final stretch, they could surpass Glasgow Warriors and finish second in the standings, and play themselves into a position to host a semifinal.

Bulls at a crossroads

Every South African fan wants the local teams to perform in Europe, but with the above in mind it seems counterproductive to send the best-available combination to the northern hemisphere for a playoff whenever there is an important URC game scheduled in South Africa the following week.

White selected a third-string side for the Champions Cup quarterfinal in Northampton last season, and the Bulls duly lost 59-22.

Many other coaches have adopted a similar selection policy, which has led to some one-sided scorelines in both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

Most recently, teams such as Saracens have sent weakened teams into battle, sacrificing their European ambitions and saving their best players for the domestic matches that follow – Saracens are currently sixth in the English Premiership and in danger of missing the playoffs.

The Bulls have done things a little differently this year, taking a big squad to Europe in an attempt to meet the demands of playing two – and possibly three – Challenge Cup playoffs, as well as the two URC matches against Munster and Glasgow.

White bucked the trend last week when he selected his strongest available side in Bayonne. The move paid off, in the sense that the Bulls won 32-22 and advanced to the next round of the Challenge Cup playoffs.

The Bulls could well become victims of their own success. The longer they stay in the Challenge Cup tournament, the greater the temptation to push for a title.

And given the fact that the Bulls could play a potential 13 games in a row, that push could compromise their goals in the URC.

Sharks to become Bulls fans?

The Sharks will be cheering the Bulls on this weekend and in a potential Challenge Cup semifinal – albeit for selfish reasons.

John Plumtree’s side was knocked out of Europe last week when a team stacked with youngsters lost 34-21 in Lyon. The fact that Plumtree didn’t travel with the weakened combination to France tells you everything you need to know about the Sharks’ focus on the business end of the URC.

If the Bulls win against Edinburgh this Saturday, they will remain in both competitions, while their closest URC rivals, the Sharks – who are currently in fourth place – focus on the URC.

It’s also worth noting that second-placed Glasgow will devote all their energy to the URC if they lose to Leinster in the Champions Cup quarterfinal on Friday and potentially stretch their lead over the third-placed Bulls in that competition.

The URC playoff race is tight this year, and while Leinster are favourites to top the log, the joust for second place – and a chance to host a quarterfinal and potential semifinal – is particularly fierce.

Nine points separate Glasgow and the Sharks at this stage, and it’s possible that the Springbok-laden Sharks could claim sufficient points to surpass the Scots as well as the Bulls.

This may play out while the Bulls are marauding their way through Europe and possibly featuring in a Challenge Cup final in Cardiff – which will involve another round of intercontinental flights.

Matt Scott of Edinburgh is tackled during their United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls in Pretoria on 28 September 2024. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

The last thing the Bulls need after a schedule like that is a game against Leinster in Dublin in the URC semifinals. While they stormed the Irish fortress in the penultimate round of the 2021/22 season, the victory earned them another long trip back to Cape Town, where they lost to the Stormers.

The Stormers could also spring a surprise in the playoffs, should they qualify.

John Dobson’s side failed to progress to the European Cup knockout phase. That underwhelming campaign certainly deserves scrutiny, but the silver lining is that the team has had extra time to prepare for the latter stages of the URC, which includes four games in Cape Town.

While the Stormers are unlikely to host a playoff, they could end up playing the Bulls in Pretoria in the quarterfinals.

The Cape side may be relatively fresh at that stage, while the Bulls may be feeling the effects of an extensive travel and fixture schedule. How White manages his team over the next few weeks could well determine whether they fire or fade at the end of the URC campaign. DM

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South Africa

Perennial problem

Bulls at a crossroads

Sharks to become Bulls fans?