VIDEO: Bulls on the brink of unprecedented treble
The Bulls are on the brink of an unprecedented treble - winning international franchise competitions in both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere, as well as being domestic champions.
As three-time Super Rugby Champions (2007, 2009 & 2010), the Bulls can add the Trans-Hemisphere equivalent to that if they manage to beat the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship Final in Cape Town on Saturday.
More the 1,400 kilometres north another Bulls team will host Griquas in the Currie Cup semifinal, hoping to keep alive their dream of winning three consecutive domestic championships.
The last team to achieve something this significant was Transvaal - who, in 1993, won the Super 10, the Currie Cup, the Lion Cup (a domestic knock-out competition) and the Night Series (a knock-out competition that included a team from Samoa).
However, the Bulls can take it a step further, winning an 'international' competition against top Northern Hemisphere opposition.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White, speaking after their win over four-time European champions Leinster in the URC semifinal in Dublin at the weekend, said he doesn't believe they have reached their full potential yet.
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"The one thing the Bulls have done significantly well since I have joined them is playing their best rugby at the back-end of a competition - in the Currie Cup, Super Rugby Unlocked and other competitions," White said.
"I hope we continue to understand that when it comes to knock-out rugby we have to play with that intensity, composure and confidence.
"If we continue to do that we will create opportunities for us to win competitions."
White added that the win over Leinster does not make the Bulls an instant success.
"We have just won one game against Leinster," White said, downplaying the hype around the historic win at the RDS Arena in Dublin at the weekend.
"It is great that our curve is upwards and our progression looks like it does, but there are a lot more I would like to do.
"We are not close to where we want to be.
"Without being arrogant, playing in the Final of the URC in Year One and being in the semifinal of the Currie Cup is fantastic for the union."
He said they want to keep growing and getting better.
"We are no different to Leinster. They will be a force to be reckoned with again," the Bulls boss added.
"Leinster have proven they are not a one-hit-wonder. They will be in or about the play-offs next year again.
"That is what we have to get to. Every time we play in a competition we have to be there at the back-end of the tournament.
"However, one swallow does not make a summer."
* Meanwhile Bulls Currie Cup coach Gert Smal said he does not know how many of the returning URC players - who will not be required in Cape Town - will be released for the domestic cause in Pretoria.
Speaking after the 5-35 loss to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein at the weekend - which saw the Bulls concede top spot in the standings, was a bitter pill to swallow.
Smal admitted that more than 10 members of the squad were from the Under-20 ranks, adding that there is more to the team than the performance they produced against the vastly more experienced Cheetahs team.
The big question is how many of the Bulls' URC team will be available for the Currie Cup team's semifinal encounter with a tricky Griquas outfit.
Smal admitted it is an "extremely difficult" balancing act to give the younger players some experience, while also trying to win South Africa's premier domestic competition.
"The URC is the main competition at the moment," Smal said, adding: "We would like to see those aspirations carry over to the young players as well.
"Hopefully we can fix a few things this week and be a much better team going into the semifinals."
Muller Uys, the captain in Bloemfontein at the weekend, said the Currie Cup has not lost its allure for the young players.
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