There is a definite sense of unfinished business in the Vodacom Bulls camp as they prepare for Season 4 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, which kicks off in September.
It is midnight in the home of Phiwe Nomlomo. One of the head coaches at Loftus Versfeld is doing what he often does at this quiet hour. He is sitting with a notebook and writing down ideas. Specific ideas for his players, and more general ideas on how to implement hockey players’ ability to move a ball so quickly across the field into rugby.
The Glasgow Warriors delivered an impressive, polished second-half performance to clinch the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with a pulsating 21-16 triumph over the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Vodacom Bulls will not give an inch on Saturday when they host the Glasgow Warriors in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship grand final at Loftus Versfeld, where they will have their sights set on becoming the second South African franchise to win the title.
Emirates Lions utility back Sanele Nohamba was rewarded for his great form of the past eight months when he was named the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season for his stellar performances at scrumhalf and flyhalf for the team from Johannesburg.
The Vodacom Bulls held their nerve in a nail-biting Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final against Leinster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday for a 20-25 victory and watched on as the Glasgow Warriors defeated defending champions Munster at Thomond Park to earn their first home grand final in the competition in a regular season.
The Vodacom Bulls will have their sights set squarely on booking their second Vodacom United Rugby Championship grand final spot in three seasons when they host Leinster in the first semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon, when they will fly the flag as the last remaining South African team in the cross-hemisphere showpiece.
The Vodacom Bulls duo of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom are up against the Emirates Lions’ versatile Sanele Nohamba for the coveted Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season Award for 2024.
The Vodacom Bulls will host Leinster in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria next Saturday after holding their nerve in a tense quarter-final against Benetton, but the DHL Stormers’ hopes of progressing to the top four for a third consecutive season were dashed by Glasgow Warriors in Scotland.
The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers will fly the South African flag in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-finals against Benetton and the Glasgow Warriors respectively on Saturday, with semi-final berths be at stake as the competition reaches the knock-out stages.