The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd announced on Thursday that Vodacom Bulls and Vodacom Blue Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle did not accept an offer to extend his contract past October 31st, 2013. The hooker indicated that he will instead take up an offer with the French club Toulouse.
Blue Bulls Media Release
The BBC and Ralepelle reached consensus on a possible extension in early May, on the proviso of the player also being offered a Springbok contract for 2014/15. A new offer, this time by Toulouse, prompted Ralepelle to decline the contract extension negotiated with the BBC.
The High Performance Manager at the BBC, Xander Janse van Rensburg said they did their best to keep Ralepelle at Loftus Versfeld, where he has played all of his Vodacom Cup, Absa Currie Cup and Vodacom Super Rugby matches and also became a Springbok.
“We tried our best, but Chiliboy decided it was time to move on. We respect his decision,” Janse van Rensburg said. Ralepelle indicated that it was a lifestyle and career move.
“I always wanted to play abroad and this opportunity will provide that. I also feel that I will develop further as a rugby player in France, where different set skills will be required. I can only improve by playing over there.”
He will leave the union with mixed emotions, Ralepelle said.
“The Bulls were my life for so long, so of course I will miss it, but have peace of mind about my decision to move abroad. There are no ill-feelings on either side, it was just time for me to move on.”
•Janse van Rensburg also confirmed that negotiations with scrumhalf Jano Vermaak has progressed well and is at an advanced stage.
“We are aware of the overseas offer made to Jano and this forms part of our negotiations,” he said.
Flok, the exodus is now beginning to work on my nerves….
WTF is Xander Janse van Rensburg doing there at the Bulls.
It is turning out to be a bigger exodus than the one after World Cup 2011!
Who’s next?
It seems as if the reports, that the Bulls have spread their money waaaayyyyyyy to thin by contracting every half decent youngster without keeping enough to look after their senior players, are true.
Keep your thieving, poaching hands away from the Vanilla Gorilla!
5 @ Loosehead:
Come home Adriaan Strauss…. come play for a decent team again…
6 @ grootblousmile:See comment 5!
And he is at fukken home.
Not the best of news but all the best to Chiliboy Ralepelle in France. With Wynand Olivier it was not so bad as there is a long line of good centres waiting to step up and he is near the end of the career, whereas Chiliboy possibly has at least 3 or 4 years of the best years of his playing life ahead of him, and how many good backup hookers are there?
1 @ grootblousmile:
All these players moving about is a BIG challenge for the modern coach as its hard to plan long term and build a squad. Also not good for the local leagues in South Africa if too many of the top players leave, but there is always a silver lining – it opens up a spot for someone who may not have got the exposure and there are lots of players in South Africa that can get the opportunity, plus also it weakens the French national team further, think that having players from other countries in your league can be a good thing if it is well balanced BUT France with all their rich club owners seem to be going too far in the numbers they are bringing in, which means less game time for their own top players.
Bullscot wrote:
hope they implode completely and become a 2nd tier nation. They pay extravagant prices and is mucking up all rugby World wide.
SA does not score from this , who really wanted Francios Louw and Ruan Pienaar in the Bok team now.
Who is out there that we need?
SARU must forbid Heynecke to pick anyone who left
Go and enjoy your new “life experience and money” but remember you left your chance to play for the Boks here.
@ Loosehead:
Time for a salary cap system in SA as well. Bulls contracting heaps of players to keep them away from other franchises weakens SA Rugby and ruins careers.
@ grootblousmile:
Leave him alone – he wasn’t good enough for the Bulls and now all of a sudden you want to go and plunder the Free State again. 🙂
@ Alibaba:
We buy what we need, the results show we had the best talent scout, sadly he was taken by our own man Heynecke to help the Springboks. It was not how many we bought but what. The only great buy that boomeranged is Marcell, we seriously needed a great prop
I am not worried what we bought but the exodus to Europe is not goog for SA
Not good news for the Bulls, but how can the SH compete with the Euro and Pound? And Chilliboy is one of 3 great hookers in this country, and he will always compete with Bissie and Strauss for the no 1 spot in SA, and then you have guys like Liebenberg snapping at their heels. So the hooker spot in SA is still relatively healthy.
@ grootblousmile:
It should be. Because they paid such high fees for Serfontein and Pollard they had to ask the other people to take a pay cut. Chilliboy and Co did not except the extension because they have to take a pay cut. There is more expected to leave the Bulls
@ superBul:
No. You poach with money the government gave you which was suppose to be for development in the region. WP and other used their Lotto money and pumped it into the regions schools and academies. That is fraud
15 @ Bliksem:
Jy praat mos nou jou kop se kak!
http://www.iol.co.za/sport/rugby/bulls-blame-heyneke-for-chiliboy-s-departure-1.1528985#.UbKUndhTFY4
GBS what the heck is going on at the Bulls?
We were so bloody professional , now this.
Sjoe, things don’t seem to be so healthy in PTA.
Are the Bulls the new the Sharks?
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