Bridgend Blue Bulls

Blue Bulls
Club information
Full name Blue Bulls Rugby League Football Club
Website http://www.bluebulls.co.uk
Colours Blue
Founded 2003 & Resurrected 2014
Current details
Ground(s)
Coach(s) Lee Harben-Jones
Captain(s) Nathan Hawkins
Competition Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier

The Blue Bulls (known as Bridgend Blue Bulls RLFC between 2003 & 2012) are a rugby league side based in Pyle, Wales. They play in the Welsh Premier of the Rugby League Conference. They are the most successful amateur rugby league team in Wales, having won the Welsh Premier a record seven times in their two incarnations, as well as winning the Harry Jepson Trophy twice against teams from England, Wales and Scotland.

History

The Blue Bulls were formed in 2003 and joined the newly formed Welsh Division of the Rugby League Conference. Since then, guided under head coaches Karl Hocking & Jon Purnell, they have won the league every year until 2008. In 2003 and 2004 they won all their games. In 2005 they lost just one, before drawing one game and losing one in the 2006 and 2007 seasons respectively.

In 2003 and 2005 the team also won the Harry Jepson Cup, competing with teams from England, Scotland and Wales. In 2003 they beat Cardiff Demons, Aberavon Fighting Irish, Ipswich Rhinos and winning the final against Carlisle Centurions by 33-26 at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington. In 2005, this time at the Brewery Field, they clinched the cup in a record breaking 60-10 victory against Leeds Akkies. That match was seen by just over 1,150 people.

In 2007 they won the Welsh Grand Final at Brewery Field by beating the Newport Titans 24-18. The Blue Bulls were actually 6-0 down early on, but made an astonishing recovery to lead 24-6 at one point. They held their lead despite the Titans scoring two more tries.

The 2008 season saw Bridgend field a side that contained many new faces mainly youngsters that had not played league before. This led to more defeats than the club was used to and they eventually had to release their strangle hold on the Welsh title with it going to another team for the first time ever.

The 2009 season saw a marked improvement from the previous season, losing just one game during the regular season, they made it to the grand final against arch-rivals Blackwood Bulldogs at Virginia Park, Caerphilly, but fell at the last hurdle 38-22 in a bad-tempered encounter.

In the 2010 season, the Blue Bulls beat Cardiff Demons 28-56 to secure a home tie in the Welsh Premier Playoff Semi-Finals, after finishing second by points difference in the table, behind Valley Cougars, but went on to lose the final 46-44.

2011 saw the club crowned Welsh champions for the first time in 4 years after seeing off Valley Cougars in the final 48-24.

Despite a difficult start to the 2012 season which included heavy home defeats to Valley Cougars and Bonymaen Broncos, the Bulls surge in the second half of the season, a 22-all draw at Bonymaen (the only game that Bonymaen have ever failed to win) and win against the Cougars at Nelson RFC, saw the club reach their ninth final. The took on Bonymaen Broncos in the grand final, but were beaten 46-28.

The club didn't field a side in 2013 following the retirement of long serving team manager Simon Green. However the club was relaunched in 2014 at Pyle RFC as "Blue Bulls" and promptly won the Welsh Title in their first season back.

Grounds

The club have played home games at a number of venues throughout the county, the original home for the first two years was at Coychurch Road, the former home of Bridgend Town F.C.. They spent 2005 at the Brewery Field and were based at Porthcawl RFC between 2006 and 2012. In 2014 Pyle RFC was unveiled as their new home. They have also played home matches at Maesteg RFC and Llangeinor A.F.C..

Season Tables

2009

    		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
    1 Blackwood Bulldogs 8 8 0 0 328 90 +238 16
    2 Bridgend Blue Bulls 8 7 0 1 302 103 +199 14
    3 Valley Cougars 8 6 0 2 333 234 99 12
    4 Cardiff Demons 8 5 0 3 220 167 53 10
    5 Newport Titans 8 3 1 4 228 286 -58 7
    6 Neath Port Talbot Steelers 8 1 2 5 146 262 -116 4
    7 Torfaen Tigers 8 2 0 6 170 314 -144 4
    8 Dinefwr Sharks 8 1 1 6 213 320 -107 3
    9 St Clears Wild Boars 8 1 0 7 102 266 -164 2

    Play Off Round 1

    August 1, 2009
    Blackwood Bulldogs 48–34 Bridgend Blue Bulls
    (Report)
    Glan-Yr-Afon Park, Blackwood

    Play Off Round 2

    August 16, 2009
    Bridgend Blue Bulls 48–28 Valley Cougars
    (Report)
    South Road Ground, Porthcawl

    Grand Final

    August 16, 2009
    Blackwood Bulldogs 38–22 Bridgend Blue Bulls
    (Report)
    Virginia Park, Caerphilly
    Referee/s: Martin Edwards

    2010

      		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
      1 Valley Cougars 10 9 0 1 556 256 +300 18
      2 Bridgend Blue Bulls 10 9 0 1 536 246 +290 18
      3 Cardiff Demons 10 6 0 4 296 320 -24 12
      4 CPC Bears 10 2 0 8 188 494 -306 4
      5 Newport Titans 10 2 0 8 258 433 -175 4
      6 Blackwood Bulldogs 10 2 0 8 267 352 -85 4

      Play Off Elimination Round

      August 18, 2010
      Bridgend Blue Bulls 56–4 Cardiff Demons
      (Report)
      South Road Ground, Porthcawl

      Grand Final

      August 21, 2010
      Valley Cougars 46–44 Bridgend Blue Bulls
      (Report)
      Virginia Park, Caerphilly
      Referee/s: Ian Curzon

      Other Teams

      The club runs junior sides at under-13, under-15 and under-17 levels in the Welsh Conference Junior League.

      Supporters of the club formed a tag rugby outfit named Bridgend Blue Heifers in 2008.

      Grand Finals

      Honours

      Club Honours

      Player Honours

      Internationals in Current Squad

      Club Records

      Players earning international caps while at Bridgend Blue Bulls

      Notable Former Players

      External links

      This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.