Bulls-Stormers derby moved to March

The Vodacom Bulls have confirmed that their Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture against the DHL Stormers has been moved to March, rather than being played over the festive period.

The fixture list released at the start of the season saw the fixture scheduled for 27 December at Loftus Versfeld, a part of the year where many in the Bulls fan base are away for the Christmas holidays.

The Bulls also have been quite public about the fact they don’t like playing over the festive season, preferring to move the derbies they have been in until the March period where the Six Nations sees the URC taking a break up north.

Still, while there has been a belief that rugby wouldn’t draw crowds in Gauteng over the Christmas period, the game would also have clashed with the cricket matches at the same time of the year.

The Lions are also due to host the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Johannesburg on December 27, but no word has yet been uttered whether this game will be moved for the same reasons until March?

The moved fixture means the Bulls will have a week’s break over Christmas after facing the Sharks in Durban on December 19 and then will face the Stormers in Cape Town on January 3.

The URC are yet to change the fixture on their calendar, but the Bulls confirmed it via their twitter account on Wednesday.