The Bulls’ United Rugby Championship semi-final against the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday in Edinburgh will be doubly special for Johan Grobbelaar.
Grobbelaar will be an especially happy hooker because he will be playing at one of his dream rugby venues while simultaneously celebrating his 150th cap for the Bulls. The proud product of Paarl Gimnasium in the Western Cape has played his entire professional career at the Bulls since joining the Pretoria outfit in 2016 — the year after he represented SA Schools.
Grobbelaar told the media that he has spent years watching international matches played at Murrayfield with a burning desire to one day run out at the iconic national stadium of Scotland.
“It has been on my bucket list,” the 28-year-old smiled. “It’s a field I’ve never played on before, so it’s going to be a great opportunity.”
The host team have moved the high-stakes playoff from their compact Scotstoun stadium in Glasgow to the vast expanse of Murrayfield.
“I’m really looking forward to playing at Murrayfield and playing on grass again,” the 10-cap Springbok said.
It is well known that South African franchises have a strong aversion to playing on the artificial surfaces of Scotstoun and other synthetic pitches in the UK and Ireland, but Grobbelaar did not want to make an excuse of the surface change.
“The 4G pitch is obviously a bit different. We’re used to grass at Loftus, so hopefully that helps us, but our plans and structures won’t change much because of it.”
Last week, it was captain Ruan Nortje who celebrated the 150-cap milestone, and like the lanky lock, Grobbelaar was quick to deflect individual attention away from his personal achievement.
“It’s been a great few years here in Pretoria with the Bulls,” he said. “There have been some ups and downs, but playing in those URC finals and now having the opportunity again to go all the way is special. Hopefully, we can get another crack at it, and this time we finish the job.”
The Bulls are currently on a bruising three-match losing streak against the Warriors, a run dating back to their heartbreaking defeat to the Scottish outfit in the 2024 final at Loftus Versfeld.
“Losing that final is probably still there in the back of your mind,” Grobbelaar admitted. “But we’ve put that behind us. This is a wonderful opportunity at a wonderful stadium, and we’re thoroughly looking forward to it.”