Olivier’s injury comeback curtailed
11 Jan 2012
Wynand Olivier’s quest to be fit for the start of the Bulls’ Super Rugby campaign has suffered another setback.
The midfielder, who is recovering from a shoulder operation, broke a small bone in his wrist at the weekend. The injury requires three weeks to heal, which means Olivier will only be able to resume full training three weeks before the start of the tournament.
However, Bulls team doctor Org Strauss said they expected Olivier to be in contention for selection for their opener against the Sharks on 24 February.
Meanwhile, the Bulls will attend a three day training camp at Royal Marang Sports Palace near Rustenburg from Wednesday.
‘We just need a little bit of a change of scenery,’ Bulls coach Frans Ludeke explained. ‘The guys have been working very hard at Loftus, so we will break away and continue the hard work somewhere else for the next couple of days. I am very pleased with our progress thus far.’
109 Comments
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11 Jan 2012, 11:05 am
@Transformation-50:
Read Matfield’s book. Ludeke is the coach he has most respect for, bar none.
11 Jan 2012, 11:06 am
@PissAnt-45:
My experience in Jhb is that a similar problem exists amongst the GLRU clubs as well. In fact it’s the reason why SARU is also effectively paralysed by the unions.
11 Jan 2012, 11:10 am
@PissAnt-43:
There are 2 Boards a WPRFU Board with Titus as the chairperson and a WP Executive Board -WP Pty Ltd. (Patty Kuhn was the previous chairperson) don’t know who the new chairperson is.
The WPRFU board makes all the adminstrative decisions and the WP Executive makes all the proffessional decisions.
What I’m saying is that with regards to WP Pty, like any private company the MD and all directors reports to their respective Executive boards who can hire and fire. The clubs and it’s member their have no influence on proffessional decisions and player contracts
11 Jan 2012, 11:10 am
@Tacitus-51: fark me, matfield’s book is not the bible. Victor is on record “respecting” pdv, so what?
only blue bulls sycophants even have a modicum of rugby related respect for ludeke. there was no merit in his appointment in ’08, he only got the job because hw was afrikaner and probably a christian. nothing rugby related!
he is kak.
2 super rugby titles but not even a mere mention when Bok coaching candidates are mentioned, go figure
11 Jan 2012, 11:12 am
@Tacitus-48:
i too think so but i suppose the only way to prove this is if he coaches outside of the bulls setup at some point in his career and well away from hm influence.
perhaps the stormers?..
the cats of course were a sorry state of affairs.
11 Jan 2012, 11:13 am
@PissAnt-36:
i was told by another wp guy in another conversation…
that the ‘old’ wprugby do in fact have more votes than the unions who joined when they amalgamated…
of course things could have changed in the last four years…
but there were (and i believe still are) huge schisms and ill feeling because the previously excluded unions felt they would ‘own’ newlands… but the previously exclusive union felt they owned it and had the papers to prove it and didn’t simply want to give it away… and one of the unification deals was that the old union would in fact have more votes… not enough for a majority but enough to stalemate things and keep the status quo…
and let me please say before anyone makes assumptions… IMO… it has nothing to do with race… it has everything to do with greed and power and ‘owning’ a prize asset… no not the team… the stadium…
and i believe both sides are equally ‘guilty’ and intransigent
since then… this may have all changed and been resolved… but even if it has… those were the feelings and agendas prevalent in wp rugby at the time… and may still be there now…
11 Jan 2012, 11:14 am
@Jeraldjay-53:
The fine line in rugby is that your administrative decisions has a huge influence on your professional decisions and bodies.
Who appoints WP PTY staff for example? Who ratifies and rubberstamps it?
11 Jan 2012, 11:14 am
@Transformation-54:
A bit hot under the collar, there. Don’t pull a Grantie on us now.
Your feelings on Ludeke are well known. And so noted.
11 Jan 2012, 11:15 am
This from News 24:
Cape Town – Bulls coach Frans Ludeke says Springbok utility back Francois Hougaard will mainly play at scrumhalf in this year’s Super Rugby tournament.
Hougaard has been used at wing by both the Bulls and the Springboks to great effect in the last while but Ludeke admitted to Beeld that Hougaard will play most of his rugby this season in the No 9 jumper.
“Hougie wants to make his mark at scrumhalf this year and we gave him the assurance that he will get enough chances there,” said Ludeke.
He will, however, still be used on the left wing at times by the three-time Super Rugby champions.
Jano Vermaak is the other main scrumhalf on their books and he will add valuable experience at No 9. Hougaard has only played five of his 29 Super Rugby matches for the Bulls at scrumhalf, while Vermaak has 62 Super Rugby appearances for the Lions in this position.
“Hougie really wants to play there (scrumhalf), but he’s also a team man and realise that there could be times where we might call on his number at wing.
“Jano is himself a brilliant player and then we obviously also have Ruan Snyman to call upon,” said Ludeke.
The amount of times Hougaard would have to help out on the wing will probably depend on the form of new recruit JJ Engelbrecht, veteran wing Akona Ndungane and speedster Bjorn Basson.
11 Jan 2012, 11:17 am
@Tacitus-58: nothing like that, just telling it like it is
11 Jan 2012, 11:21 am
@PissAnt-57:
So are saying is that the professionals are accountable to the amateurs?
I disagree.
11 Jan 2012, 11:22 am
@Transformation-54: Victor is on record “respecting” pdv ….. Enough said on Victors pedigree
11 Jan 2012, 11:23 am
Small bone in wrist… Hmmm. Sounds suspisciously like Wynand was paging through some old magazines while his girlfriend was away at the spa.
11 Jan 2012, 11:23 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-55: He won three from 25 matches as coach of the Lions and Cats in Super rugby and he walked straight into the championship winning bulls job without a hitch, merit my arse….hehehe
11 Jan 2012, 11:27 am
@Transformation-64:
Yeah, and what a disaster that appointment proved to be – 2 Super Rugby titels later…
Guess the guy appointing him knew something you don’t.
11 Jan 2012, 11:28 am
@Jeraldjay-61:
My question is how (or by who) does decisions get ratified within WP Rugby? In SARU the president’s council used to ratify just about every rugby decision in SA – and they are made up of presidents (amateurs) of all unions. This included comp structures, coaching staff, promo-relegation etc.
Is it different at WP?
11 Jan 2012, 11:30 am
@Tacitus-65: he knew ludeke can hold the reigns like a good farm hand…doesn’t mean he is a FARMER!
11 Jan 2012, 11:31 am
@Tacitus-65:
perhaps they knew in their hearts that heyneke would be back..?..
11 Jan 2012, 11:33 am
@Transformation-67:
And I know neither Scared-of-his-own-shadow Coetzee nor Let’s-replace-the-whole-team-just-when-things-are-going-well de Villiers would have won either of those two titles if they held the reigns.
All that matters are results. And Ludeke achieved them.
11 Jan 2012, 11:35 am
@Tacitus-69: ja, they are not “traditional” rugby coaches are they?
that’s how you know.
11 Jan 2012, 11:36 am
@Transformation-54:
Yep and out of ALL the double superrugby winning coaches-Henry,Jones,Smith,Deans,….he has the poorest profile..No one recognises him,no mention of higher honours
11 Jan 2012, 11:37 am
@PissAnt-66:
Pissant, the SARU structure is completely different to the WP Rugby structure.
SARU’s professional arm and the amatuer arm have merged and now form one body with Jurie Roux at the helm. It previously operated seperately with Oberholzer looking after the professional matters.
WP Rugby has to seperate structures who operate independently. The WP Executive board makes decisions on who the new coach and players will be for the senior WP and Stormers teams.
Tobie Titus does represent the WPRFU on this Executive board but that as far as it goes.
11 Jan 2012, 11:44 am
@Transformation-70:
well, to be fair i dont think pdivvy would ever be able to win anything, anywhere in entire life.
ac i’m not sure about yet, he’s still up in the air really. if he does nothing this season then what?
but i understand that tac is basing his views on race probably and that is wrong.
11 Jan 2012, 11:47 am
@mshiniwami-71:
yep…it’s actually farcical. imagine how ludeke must feel when guys like rassie, smal etc are touted as candidates and he gets overlooked out of hand….it doesn’t pay to be a puppet 
11 Jan 2012, 11:49 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-73: pdv has a u21 world cup winners medal.
surely that is something. dawie theron & brendan venter are hunting after that medal as we speak.
11 Jan 2012, 11:52 am
@Jeraldjay-72:
I am afraid you are wrong.
I am paraphrasing Tank Lanning, former editor of Sport24, ex-player who knows WP Rugby inside out.
That (WP Rugby) system? The fact that every decision made by the professional arm of the union has to be ratified by the amateur era blazer brigade disguised as some sort of “Executive council”. And for these guys it is, incredibly and sadly, not about the rugby – a number of players suggest that they get the feeling the council actually want them to lose – but about petty politicking to keep them on the double breakfast gravy train! Especially in an election year as this one is …
Why else would a guy like WPRU vice-president Thelo Wakefield, a man with political rather than rugby ambitions, choose to call the Currie Cup side too white on the eve of a big game?
It was this same Wakefiled who denied Erasmus the chance to employ a distant family member as video analyst, even though he was deemed best for the job after an interview process … And then went on to end the contract of a fitness coach Erasmus had recruited, replacing him with someone he wanted, without telling Erasmus.
11 Jan 2012, 11:54 am
@PissAnt-76:
The WP Rugby amateur ‘executive board’ is seemingly in charge here.
11 Jan 2012, 11:58 am
Tacitus, one thing bothers me about Ludeke. If he is really so good then why did Meyer speak out about needing to cut out dead wood, about having to get rid of players who were allowed to believe they are bigger than the Bulls squad and basically needing to re-invent the Bulls culture. Most of this would have been the responsibility of Ludeke on a day-to-day basis and suggests to me he (Ludeke)doesn’t have an adequate hand on matters.
11 Jan 2012, 12:05 pm
@PissAnt-76: The top exec needs to be shown the door but they won’t do it to themselves. If only WP had a strong, vocal old players union like the Bulls do to apply pressure.
11 Jan 2012, 12:15 pm
@PissAnt-76:
If this article is accurate, I’m completely appalled. I was always under the impression that Rob Wags didn’t give a **** and rubber stamped all the final decisions.
How can a 125 year old union 20 years into the professional era still be run by amateurs and how can they have these puppets influence professional decisions.
11 Jan 2012, 12:17 pm
@Jeraldjay-80:
Tank is not the only one I have heard say this in conversations, there are plenty respected guys who are all saying the same thing.
I have no reason not to believe it to be honest – not just from what I am reading and hearing, but from personal experience.
11 Jan 2012, 12:26 pm
@PissAnt-81:
I have worked closely with WP Rugby since 1998 so I’m not completely surprised. I know the ego’s involved and their agenda’s.
11 Jan 2012, 12:38 pm
@Jeraldjay-82:
You invovled in club rugby in the province or in another capacity?
11 Jan 2012, 12:41 pm
@PissAnt-83:
Pissant, you gonna get me into sh*t.
Sponsorship.
11 Jan 2012, 12:54 pm
@Jeraldjay-84:
Haha, no worries, no need to elaborate!
Perhaps time to re-think what you are investing in!
11 Jan 2012, 13:00 pm
i support the so-called coloured clubs in their quest to take control of the wpru.wp have never been serious with transforming the game in the wc and the removal of this free state afrikaner nazi p ussy is a good beginning.
11 Jan 2012, 13:00 pm
@PissAnt-85:
Most marketable rugby brand in SA….. FACT.
Just need to fill that empty space in the trophy cabinet.
11 Jan 2012, 13:08 pm
@Jeraldjay-87:
Yes, no doubt.
11 Jan 2012, 13:08 pm
@Jeraldjay-87:
Or at least for the time being – supporters are slowly waking up to what is happening behind closed doors.
11 Jan 2012, 13:17 pm
@PissAnt-89:
Great chat. Will investigate the matter further and ruffle a few feathers.
Got to get some work done for a change.
11 Jan 2012, 13:24 pm
@Jeraldjay-90:
Good luck with that and the business mate. Chat again.
11 Jan 2012, 13:33 pm
@Jeraldjay-87:
shhhhh…
don’t let the sharks fans hear you saying that…??? they’ll tell you the sharks are the most marketable brand in world rugby…
11 Jan 2012, 13:47 pm
@Jeraldjay-87: @ufo-92:
FACT?? Please elaborate
Because that statment is as ambiguous as they come. A few years ago there was a poll taken across the country’s rugby fan’s which atributed the Bulls brans(2010) to being the most “marketable”,biggest fanbase in SA etc And for a few years the Sharks brand was also said to the same and have the most fan clubs abroad and in greater South Africa to illustrate that largely “intangible” yet highly sought “most marketable rugby brand” heavyweight title.
So it would be interesting to what do you attribute WP rugby to having this title at this current juncture.
11 Jan 2012, 13:49 pm
@ufo-92:
FACT!!!
11 Jan 2012, 13:53 pm
@mshiniwami-93:
Stadium attendence in 125 years.
“WP JOU LEKKER DING”
11 Jan 2012, 14:01 pm
2.1 Pioneers in Rugby Marketing
The Stormers revolutionized rugby marketing in South Africa. They pioneered brand building in the sport, using strong and striking imagery, relevant and topical ideas, clever creative concepts and much more. For the first time ever they used non-rugby imagery to sell the game. While others still used action photos to promote their team or event, the Stormers took a new lead by developing campaigns that featured the players in battle gear, as human wrecking balls and as cyborgs!
The core objective was to use the Stormers as a “gateway” brand to attract new supporters to the game and in turn grow the supporter base. The players were used to attract non traditional audiences, such as women and children, and strong emphasis was placed on the brand offering the fans more than just rugby. They were given numerous reasons to support the team and keep the terraces packed.
The first season of marketing the Stormers was one of exploration and, most importantly, learning. The “Storm Warning” campaign made use of weather analogies, hinting that “stormy weather” may be looming. Whilst the campaign was successful, the lessons of 1998 confirmed that a new look, feel and brand centred approach was necessary to take the Stormers forward.
This sparked the ground-breaking “Men-in-Black” campaign that carried the Stormers all the way to the Super 12 semi-finals in 1999 and realised average home crowds of 49 000 for six weeks in a row – a Super 12 record.
The “Men in Black” campaign introduced a military theme with the players portrayed as Navy Seals. The hugely successful “Wear Black” campaign got the fans involved and made them feel part of the team’s success – the players and the fans were living the magic of rugby.
Sponsors Fedsure bought into the concept 100% and, through various partnerships the merchandising programme was expanded to include a plethora of items, even Stormers Cola and beer! Fedsure, which had bought previous sponsors Norwich, did not have a strong brand presence in the Western Cape at the time and it cleverly used the Stormers sponsorship to create a name for itself in the market.
The sponsorship remains one of the most successful ever undertaken by a Corporate with results evident within the space of just six months.
The military theme was evolved in 2000. The team went on a Boot Camp in Saldanha and later the “Commandos” marketing campaign was launched, featuring players in black battle gear. The slogan “Who Dares Wins” was used. The 2001 campaign continued with a military theme, with imagery bearing a closer link to the game, and the “Who Dares Wins” slogan maintained.
Events in the US on September 11, 2001, prompted the Stormers to move away from their military theme in 2002 and beyond. A new campaign, with the slogan “Whatever It Takes” was successfully implemented in 2002 and 2003 with the players shown running on hot coals and smashing through concrete blocks.
2004 heralded an exciting new campaign with the tagline “Don’t Blink”. Drawing on the trends of the day, the players were depicted as Cyborgs, similar to those in movies such as The Matrix and others. A superbly illustrated poster that formed part of the campaign won a Gold Loerie Award. Tattoos, making a comeback, were also amongst the many creative executions.
2005 saw a return to more rugby orientated imagery of the team in their playing kit and surrounded by popular landmarks in the Western Cape. Another element featured stylish, sexy black and white portrait photographs of the players. The “Don’t Blink” tagline was retained.
In 2006, “Don’t Blink” was continued with the creative featuring a combination of photography and modern art. Frenetic brush strokes were used to evoke the speed of the game and emphasise the artistry of rugby. The campaign featured a lot of white in anticipation of the imminent change in colour from black to blue in 2007. Once again, the campaign broke new ground and kept the Stormers a step ahead of the pack as they approached the dawn of a new era in the life of the brand
2007 heralded an evolution – and revolution – in Stormers’ marketing activity. A bold new step featured the changing of the team’s kit from black to blue, which was a defining feature of the campaign. There was also a return to “grassroots” with a closer affinity created between the new generation Stormers and long-standing Western Province rugby tradition. The core focus was on the fans in the exciting “I am a Stormer” campaign, which featured, amongst other things, an interactive website blog for fans to share their views and receive feedback from the players.
The “I am a Stormer” campaign was continued in 2008 with great success. A change in team management, a reversal of fortune on the field and a highly visible marketing effort combined to attract the fans back to Newlands in their thousands. As the team put together a superb run of results at home, the terraces swelled close to the capacity 48 000 mark, a figure that had not been reached since 1999.
Under the “I am a Stormer” banner the 2009 campaign asked fans to sign a white jersey in blue ink online. As more fans signed up pledging their support, the jersey colour started changing into blue. The symbolism clearly being that the Stormers blue match kit was made up of fans’ signatures. The data captured was utilised to provide supporters with the online magazine and invites to events and activities with the team.
The successful “I Am A Stormer” signature campaign continued in 2010 with the Stormers brand using the signature jersey during the inaugural Neo-Africa Tri Series, a pre-season tournament hosted at Newlands. Fans were once again given the unique opportunity to put their signatures on the Stormers jersey, this time in the version of a massive Stormers jersey that was made available to all fans who attended matches at Newlands games to sign their name.
In 2010 the Stormers brand also opened new frontiers into the world of social networking with the launch of both a Facebook and Twitter pages. Over 95,000 fans have since rallied behind the boys in Blue on Facebook, showing the huge popularity the team enjoys both at Newlands and on the world wide web.
2011 saw a major shift for the Stormers brand. A new sponsor in DHL, a new 15-team Super Rugby format and a new jersey were all part of the change to the side. The Stormers continued to move back towards its roots and introduced the famous blue and white stripes of Western Province onto their jersey for the very first time.
The marketing campaign reviews are but the tip of the iceberg in relation to the building and growth of the Stormers brand. Many other elements such as the launch of the Club Newlands Supporters Club, the Stormers magazine/match programme, public relations, social responsibility and charity activities, media activities and much more have been designed with the fans at their core.
2.2 The team of the people
The Stormers are undoubtedly the best supported franchise over the duration of the Super 12/Super 14 tournament, with the most loyal fans.
In 2010, the franchise achieved its highest ever total attendance figure in Super Rugby history, an amazing 344500 for the eight matches played at Newlands, at an average of 43063. The crowd of 8639 that attended the Bulls game on 15 May 2010 was the highest individual match attendance since the 1999 semi-final against the Highlanders that was watched by the then capacity crowd of 50 000.
The average crowd that has attended Stormers matches at Newlands since the inception of the Stormers brand in 1998 is 37531.
This popularity and passionate support was confirmed in a report released to SA Rugby in October 2006 that concluded that the Stormers were easily the best supported Super Rugby team between 2000 and 2010.
The report stated that the Stormers had maintained strong attendance figures and TV viewership despite not performing as well in some seasons, a factor attributed to strong brand loyalty amongst a fiercely passionate and partisan crowd.
Even after below par performances in 2006 and 2007, the fans have continued to flock to Newlands to support the Stormers. The reasons for this are many. The performance of the team was a key factor in the very successful years – 1999 and 2004 – when the Stormers reached the semi-finals. 2008 too was a successful year with the team narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
But, what other factors make the Stormers the team of the people. The brand’s strength and appeal – Built on in times when the team is performing well, in turn carries the brand in times when the team is not performing well. The supporter diversity – The brand has appeal across a very diverse audience – male and female, young and old, affluent and needy, as well as all the different cultural groupings. The players – Their icon status within communities and the fact that the Stormers have always fielded colourful, charismatic and trendy individuals. The diversity in the team line-up and at all age group level teams has allowed a broad fan base to identify the players. The culture – the Cape is known for it’s rich rugby heritage and culture, and the knowledgeable support base that is nurtured via a thriving schools and club rugby foundation The loyalty – the Stormers fan base is extremely passionate and brand loyal and does not easily change allegiance. This has been clearly evident in the lean years. The Venue – Newlands Rugby Stadium is a brand in its own right and is still proudly viewed as the home of rugby by many. Being at this famous, character-filled stadium is integral to the match-day experience.
The Stormers status as the team of the people was further reinforced in April of 2008 when, in the midst of its successful run of results at home, the Western Cape government issued a call for the people of the Province to embrace the Stormers.
The statement read: “Our provincial sports teams across codes – cricket, football and rugby – are excelling on the domestic and international stage. The ANC calls on the people of the province to celebrate these successes. But we also call on all our communities to embrace our teams, including the Stormers poised as they are on the log to contest the semi-finals of the Super 14.
“We say this not only because our teams are doing so well but because much progress has been made towards creating the conditions where all communities can embrace our teams. The Stormers have African and Coloured players who are in the forefront of the success. Of course there is still much more to be done with respect to transformation of all sporting codes and we must not shy away from tackling this issue. But the success of a Stormers team which is representative of our people demonstrates that transformation of sport is correct and that it can be done. Most importantly a team representing all our communities can and must be embraced as a symbol of our success”.
11 Jan 2012, 14:03 pm
@Mr Black-94:
fact that the sharks fans will tell us that…??? yes… i know…
debate the issue with JJ when he’s back online…
will be an interesting one…
11 Jan 2012, 14:09 pm
@mshiniwami-93:
mshini bud… i’m not saying it’s fact… i have no idea about how anyone quantifies or qualifies which is a more marketable brand…
i was just saying to JJ that sharks fans will tell him otherwise…
and i was right… so i guess that at least was fact…!!
as i said to mr B… please debate the issue with JJ… he’s a professional in the marketing industry and obviously knows a helluva lot more than those of us who aren’t…
would sincerely be interested in seeing how such things are rated…
all i know is that the stormers consistently record the highest crowd attendances… that’s something i can understand and is easy to measure…
would love the pro’s views on the marketing stuff…
11 Jan 2012, 14:11 pm
sorry JeraldJay…
didn’t mean to speak on your behalf or put you ion the firing line… just knew you’d get a reaction to that statement…
11 Jan 2012, 14:20 pm
@mvk-96:
interesting stuff mvk…
are you personally involved…
look forward to the sharks and other fans counter…
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