Pretoria – The Bulls and their technical sponsors may have taken the description of Super Rugby as an all-out war too literally, as they unveil their boldest and bravest home and away kit yet for next year’s competition.
Last year, kit manufacturers Puma caused a major shake-up among Bulls fans, perceived to be conservative, when they introduced a purple and pink away strip inspired by the many jacaranda trees in the capital city.
The strip that will be unveiled on Thursday has a military feel, and the sponsor has dubbed the camouflage look “InvisiBull”.
According to the Bulls and Puma, the new strip is “playing on the fact that camo is designed to make you invisible”.
While the home jersey remains close to the traditional sky blue colours of the Bulls team of old, it is the khaki, green and brown away strip that will be the talking point among Bulls supporters and their enemies.
Blue Bulls Company marketing manager Richard Papo said they were expecting to sell more replicas of the new jerseys than they had of the purple and pink strips, of which they sold more than 70 000.
“If people think the pink jersey did well, this will do even better. We are looking forward to the launch. This new jersey is very important for us as it is about innovation, coming out with new things and pushing the boundaries. We want to tap into new markets, younger fans and broaden supporter base into new communities.
“The players, especially the senior ones, are excited about this. Camo is a fashion trend and nothing new. We want to own camo going into 2014.”
In the lead-up to Thursday’s launch, Puma ran a teaser Youtube video as part of a campaign titled “The Nature of the Bulls: You never see them coming”.
Blue Bulls Company chief executive Barend van Graan embraced the change in the away strip and said it was a bold statement in keeping the Bulls a unique brand.
“Puma has certainly transformed the pace since its arrival at the Bulls and the team feel that the new away khaki green and brown jersey, a complete contrast from our old-style kit, is a bold statement towards distinctiveness,” Van Graan said.
About 30 000 of the new jerseys have been ordered by retail stores and they will be available to the public by the weekend in the hope that they will be coveted Christmas gifts for many rugby fans around the city. The jerseys are said to retail at R649.
“We wish Frans (Ludeke), Pierre (Spies) and the rest of the Bulls team and management all the best in the coming season,” said Puma marketing director Brett Bellinger.
“We hope that the players and fans are inspired by the kit and that it brings with it a good dose of Puma luck.”
The Bulls start next year’s Super Rugby campaign with two away derbies against the Sharks on February 15 in Durban, followed by the Cheetahs on February 21 in Bloemfontein.
Their first home game will be against the Lions on March 1.
Pretoria News