Golden Lions - History

History

The Transvaal Rugby Union, with its headquarters in Johannesburg, was formed in 1889 after delegates from different clubs in the region decided to form a united rugby union to look after the well-being of the clubs. Prominent clubs involved in the process were Pirates, Wanderers, Pretoria, Potchefstroom and Kaffrarians. The first elected president was Bill Taylor (Born 1858). Transvaal’s first match was against Griquas in Kimberley on 31 August 1889.

The original colours used by Transvaal were dark blue and white jerseys, blue shorts and blue-and-white socks. It is unsure when the union decided to switch over to a white jersey with a red hoop with black shorts and socks.There is also a school of thought that South African team Transvaal, now the Golden Lions Super 14 team, adopted the famous Kilmarnock strip of white top with red hoop as a Kilmarnock member, Alex Frew, captained them when they beat The British Isles touring team in 1903. These colours are still in use today. It is also from these colours that the teams’ nickname, “Rooibontes” came from. The Transvaal Rugby Union used to encompass a much bigger catchment area than it does currently. Provincial rugby unions that gained independence from Transvaal are Western Transvaal (currently the Leopards) in 1920, Northern Transvaal (currently the Blue Bulls) in 1938) and Eastern Transvaal (currently the Pumas) in 1948. Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, after which the stadium in Pretoria is named, was a lifetime member of the Transvaal Rugby Football Union. According to A Lions Tale – 120 years of the red and white, Versfeld died of a heart attack at Ellis Park in 1932 when he attended a match between Transvaal and the Free State.

The union has undergone several name changes in recent years – first changing its name to the Lions in 1993, the Gauteng Lions in 1997, before again changing to The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) in 1998. The GLRU competes in the yearly Currie Cup Competition under the name of The MTN Lions, the provincial tournament in South Africa. It also competes in the Vodacom Cup, a competition for provincial teams which takes place during the annual Super Rugby (previously Super 10, Super 12 and Super 14) competition in which franchise sides from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand compete. The GLRU serves as the main feeder union for the MTN Lions franchise in Super Rugby, which also encompass the Leopards and the Pumas, although very few of their players are selected. The MTN Golden Lions and Super Rugby franchise team, the MTN Lions, share the same home stadium, Ellis Park, located in the suburb of Doornfontein in Johannesburg.