The annual Vodacom Bulletjie Day at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday will see a record amount budding Bulletjie rugby players take to the field.

Thanks to the efforts of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union the sport’s reach has grown exponentially and kids from the development clusters will be participating in large numbers.

Bulletjie rugby is the biggest mini-rugby project in South Africa and the first initiative of its kind in the country. Chairman of Bulletjie Rugby, Riaan Langenhoven said the increase in numbers equates to a massive logistical operation as they have to cater for nearly six thousand little boys and girls aged from 6 to 8 years.

“The increase in our numbers is down to the good work the Blue Bulls Rugby Union is doing at our youth clubs and development schools,” Langenhoven said.

“We have seen good growth at our youth clubs that join us for the Bulletjie Day which has given us the boost to 5,927 participants – more than 600 teams will be participating on the day.”

The Bulletjie Day is one of the highlights on the calendar at Loftus Versfeld where the logistical arrangements can only be described as ‘miraculous’. This year there will be 197 Under-6 teams (1598 players), 237 Under-7 teams (2125) and 218 Under-8 teams (2177 players) learning the true meaning of sportsmanship.

The day is not only a special occasion for the little ones playing on the B, C and D fields at Loftus Versfeld but also for the approximately 12,000 parents that dream of one day watching their kids donning the Light Blue jersey.

The growth of the Bulletjie Day is nothing short of amazing since the first formal day was held at Loftus Versfeld in 1996 where 2000 boys had the unique experience of playing at the famous stadium.

In Bulletjie Rugby players do not tackle each other. Instead each player wears a ribbon on either side. When the ball carrier’s ribbon is ‘ripped’, they must pass the ball to a team mate within three seconds or three steps. After passing the ball, the player must re-attach the ribbon to their belt before taking part in the game again. The player executing the ‘rip’ shouts “rip”, and holds the ribbon up in the air. The referee will then acknowledge the ‘rip’.

The player who performed the ‘rip’ must hand the ribbon back to the opponent immediately – only thereafter may the player participate in play.