EPRU Stadium, also known by its original name of Boet Erasmus Stadium, was a stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The letters "EPRU" in the name represent the Eastern Province Rugby Union, the stadium's historic primary tenants, whose team is now known as the Mighty Elephants. The original name Boet Erasmus Stadium was named after Boet Erasmus, a former mayor of Port Elizabeth.[1] The stadium held a capacity of 33,852 people and served primarily as a venue for rugby union matches but also hosted a number of association football (soccer) fixtures.
Boet Erasmus stadium was primarily used as the home of rugby in the Eastern Cape. Situated in the affluent suburb of Summerstrand, it hosted matches at Test, Super Rugby, Currie Cup, Vodacom Cup and club level.[2] It was regularly used by the Eastern Province Elephants under their previous names, the Mighty Elephants and the Eastern Province Kings and hosted their two home matches during the 1994 Super 10 season. The stadium was also the intended home of the Southern Spears, a team that was scheduled to play in the 2006 Currie Cup in preparation for its admission to the Super Rugby starting in 2007. However, the Spears were later denied entry into both competitions.
The stadium is credited for being the first stomping ground of a number of Springbok legends, included in which are Danie Gerber, Garth Wright, Frans Erasmus and Hannes Marias.[2]
The Battle of Boet Erasmus
In 1974, during the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa, one of the most violent matches in rugby history[3][4] was dubbed the "Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium".[5] After a 99 call by Lions, there is famous video footage of J.P.R. Williams running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Moaner van Heerden,[6] something that Williams says he is not proud of.[7]Gordon Brown hit his opposite number, Johan de Bruyn, so hard that the Orange Free State man's glass eye flew out and landed in the mud.[8]
At the 1995 Rugby World Cup on 3 June 1995, South Africa took on Canada in a clash that has also sometimes been dubbed the Battle of Boet Erasmus. The match, which South Africa ultimately won 20-0, was marred by an on-field scuffle with four players involved in a brawl. South Africa hooker James Dalton, who had come to the aid of a teammate who had been struck on the back of the head, and winger Pieter Hendriks were suspended for the remainder of the tournament for their roles in the incident and could only watch from the sidelines as the nation went on to claim its first Rugby World Cup title.[9][10]
Soccer
The stadium was used as the home ground for Port Elizabeth's, Bay United F.C. who moved to the stadium for their 2008/2009 season in the Premier Soccer League. The club used the stadium again at times during their 2009/2010 campaign in the National First Division. This was due to availability problems with their preferred home ground, the Westbourne Oval.
Closure and abandonment
Remnants of the EPRU Stadium in 2016
The stadium was officially closed in July 2010. The Eastern Province Rugby Union has moved all games to the new world class Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The last match to be played at the stadium was a friendly against the Blue Bulls on 3 July 2010.[1]The Boet hosted age-group, amateur and club rugby matches after being officially closed but has since been abandoned, with vagrants and thieves having slowly dismantled the stadium to such an extent that all that remains are the concrete structures.[1] The local municipality, who own the property, has asked for proposals from the private sector for the redevelopment of the land.[2]
The stadium was one of 9 venues throughout South Africa used for the Rugby World Cup. The stadium was used for group games in Group A. It hosted 3 games, including the match between South Africa and Canada:
When the tournament was moved to South Africa, the EPRU Stadium was chosen as one of 4 host stadiums. A total of 6 pool games were played at the stadium, as well as a quarter-final:
^ abcLambley, Garrin (11 July 2013). "So sad. Boet Erasmus in Ruin". Sport24. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ abcFoster, Grant (15 November). "Former EP Rugby home in ruins". SA Promo. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^. Official Website of the British and Irish Lions. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006.
^Byron, George (14 May 2005). . Weekend Post. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009.
^Staff (24 November 2002). "Sports File: Caught in Time: Lions in South Africa, 1974". The Sunday Times.
^English, Tom. . Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. cites it is a copy an article in The Sunday Times, 20 May 2001.
^Doyle, Paul (6 October 2006). . The Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
^Thomas, Clem; Thomas, Greg (2013). 125 Years of the British and Irish Lions: The Official History (illustrated ed.). Random House. p. iv. ISBN9781780577388.
^"'Battle of Boet Erasmus' remembered". News24. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
^"1995 RWC Battle of Boet Erasmus - South Africa vs Canada". Rugby Dump. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
External links
Photos of Stadiums in South Africa at cafe.daum.net/stade
April 24, 2023
epru, stadium, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, december, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources EPRU Stadium news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message EPRU Stadium also known by its original name of Boet Erasmus Stadium was a stadium in Port Elizabeth South Africa The letters EPRU in the name represent the Eastern Province Rugby Union the stadium s historic primary tenants whose team is now known as the Mighty Elephants The original name Boet Erasmus Stadium was named after Boet Erasmus a former mayor of Port Elizabeth 1 The stadium held a capacity of 33 852 people and served primarily as a venue for rugby union matches but also hosted a number of association football soccer fixtures EPRU StadiumThe BoetFull nameEastern Province Rugby Union StadiumFormer namesBoet Erasmus StadiumLocationLa Roche Drive Summerstrand Port Elizabeth South AfricaCoordinates33 58 55 S 25 38 22 E 33 98194 S 25 63944 E 33 98194 25 63944 Coordinates 33 58 55 S 25 38 22 E 33 98194 S 25 63944 E 33 98194 25 63944OwnerNelson Mandela Metropolitan MunicipalityOperatorEastern Province Rugby UnionCapacity33 852Field size100m X 70mSurfaceGrassConstructionClosed2010Demolished2019TenantsMighty Elephants Currie Cup 1959 2010 Bay United PSL NFD 2008 2010 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Music 1 2 Rugby 1 2 1 The Battle of Boet Erasmus 1 3 Soccer 2 Closure and abandonment 3 International tournaments 3 1 1995 Rugby World Cup 3 2 1996 African Cup of Nations 3 3 2010 FIFA World Cup 4 International matches 4 1 Rugby 4 2 Football 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditMusic Edit On 6 March 2007 Irish vocal pop band Westlife held a concert for The Love Tour supporting their album The Love Album Rugby Edit Boet Erasmus stadium was primarily used as the home of rugby in the Eastern Cape Situated in the affluent suburb of Summerstrand it hosted matches at Test Super Rugby Currie Cup Vodacom Cup and club level 2 It was regularly used by the Eastern Province Elephants under their previous names the Mighty Elephants and the Eastern Province Kings and hosted their two home matches during the 1994 Super 10 season The stadium was also the intended home of the Southern Spears a team that was scheduled to play in the 2006 Currie Cup in preparation for its admission to the Super Rugby starting in 2007 However the Spears were later denied entry into both competitions The stadium is credited for being the first stomping ground of a number of Springbok legends included in which are Danie Gerber Garth Wright Frans Erasmus and Hannes Marias 2 The Battle of Boet Erasmus Edit In 1974 during the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa one of the most violent matches in rugby history 3 4 was dubbed the Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium 5 After a 99 call by Lions there is famous video footage of J P R Williams running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Moaner van Heerden 6 something that Williams says he is not proud of 7 Gordon Brown hit his opposite number Johan de Bruyn so hard that the Orange Free State man s glass eye flew out and landed in the mud 8 At the 1995 Rugby World Cup on 3 June 1995 South Africa took on Canada in a clash that has also sometimes been dubbed the Battle of Boet Erasmus The match which South Africa ultimately won 20 0 was marred by an on field scuffle with four players involved in a brawl South Africa hooker James Dalton who had come to the aid of a teammate who had been struck on the back of the head and winger Pieter Hendriks were suspended for the remainder of the tournament for their roles in the incident and could only watch from the sidelines as the nation went on to claim its first Rugby World Cup title 9 10 Soccer Edit The stadium was used as the home ground for Port Elizabeth s Bay United F C who moved to the stadium for their 2008 2009 season in the Premier Soccer League The club used the stadium again at times during their 2009 2010 campaign in the National First Division This was due to availability problems with their preferred home ground the Westbourne Oval Closure and abandonment Edit Remnants of the EPRU Stadium in 2016 The stadium was officially closed in July 2010 The Eastern Province Rugby Union has moved all games to the new world class Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth The last match to be played at the stadium was a friendly against the Blue Bulls on 3 July 2010 1 The Boet hosted age group amateur and club rugby matches after being officially closed but has since been abandoned with vagrants and thieves having slowly dismantled the stadium to such an extent that all that remains are the concrete structures 1 The local municipality who own the property has asked for proposals from the private sector for the redevelopment of the land 2 The stadium was demolished in 2019 International tournaments Edit1995 Rugby World Cup Edit Main article 1995 Rugby World Cup The stadium was one of 9 venues throughout South Africa used for the Rugby World Cup The stadium was used for group games in Group A It hosted 3 games including the match between South Africa and Canada Date Team 1 Res Team 2 Round Attendance1995 05 26 Canada 34 3 Romania Group A 18 0001995 05 31 Australia 27 11 Canada Group A 15 0001995 06 03 South Africa 20 0 Canada Group A 31 0001996 African Cup of Nations Edit Main article 1996 African Cup of Nations When the tournament was moved to South Africa the EPRU Stadium was chosen as one of 4 host stadiums A total of 6 pool games were played at the stadium as well as a quarter final Date Team 1 Res Team 2 Round Attendance1996 01 14 Ghana 2 0 Ivory Coast Group D 8 0001996 01 16 Tunisia 1 1 Mozambique Group D 1 0001996 01 19 Ghana 2 1 Tunisia Group D 1 0001996 01 21 Ivory Coast 1 0 Mozambique Group D 5001996 01 24 Algeria 2 1 Burkina Faso Group B 1801996 01 25 Tunisia 3 1 Ivory Coast Group D 1 0001996 01 28 Ghana 1 0 Zaire Quarterfinals 8 0002010 FIFA World Cup Edit During the 2010 FIFA World Cup the stadium was used as a logistics point for Port Elizabeth a host city International matches EditRugby Edit Date Team 1 Result Team 2 Round Attendance1960 04 30 South Africa 18 10 Scotland Test match 24 0001960 08 27 South Africa 8 3 New Zealand Test match 53 0001961 08 12 South Africa 23 11 Australia Test match 26 0001962 06 30 Eastern Province 6 21 British Lions Tour match1963 09 07 South Africa 22 6 Australia Test match 48 6001968 05 29 Eastern Province 14 23 British Lions Tour match1968 06 22 South Africa 6 6 British Lions Test match 70 0001970 08 29 South Africa 14 3 New Zealand Test match 55 0001974 05 25 South Africa 9 26 British Lions Test match 55 0001974 06 13 Eastern Province 14 28 British Lions Tour match1980 05 10 Eastern Province 16 28 British Lions Tour match1980 06 28 South Africa 12 10 British Lions Test match 45 0001984 06 02 South Africa 33 15 England Test match 46 0001994 10 08 South Africa 42 22 Argentina Test match 28 0001995 06 03 South Africa 20 0 Canada Test match 31 0001997 05 24 Eastern Province XV 11 39 British Lions Tour match1999 06 12 South Africa 74 3 Italy Test match 35 0002001 06 30 South Africa 60 14 Italy Test match 35 0002003 06 28 South Africa 26 25 Argentina Test match 25 0002005 06 25 South Africa 27 13 France Test match 35 0002006 06 17 South Africa 29 15 Scotland Test match 25 844Football Edit Date Team 1 Res Team 2 Round Attendance2000 07 29 South Africa 0 1 Zimbabwe 2000 COSAFA Cup Semi Final2003 06 14 South Africa 2 1 Trinidad and Tobago International Friendly 28 0002006 11 12 South Africa 2 3 Senegal Nelson Mandela Challenge2008 06 01 South Africa 0 1 Nigeria 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 30 000See also EditNelson Mandela Bay Stadium List of stadiums in South Africa List of African stadiums by capacityReferences Edit a b c Lambley Garrin 11 July 2013 So sad Boet Erasmus in Ruin Sport24 Retrieved 11 May 2016 a b c Foster Grant 15 November Former EP Rugby home in ruins SA Promo Retrieved 11 May 2016 Boet Erasmus Stadium Port Elizabeth 13 July 1974 Official Website of the British and Irish Lions Archived from the original on 22 October 2006 Byron George 14 May 2005 Recalling those legendary Battles of the Boet Weekend Post Archived from the original on 3 August 2009 Staff 24 November 2002 Sports File Caught in Time Lions in South Africa 1974 The Sunday Times English Tom Rampant Lions South Africa 1974 Archived from the original on 27 October 2007 cites it is a copy an article in The Sunday Times 20 May 2001 Doyle Paul 6 October 2006 Small talk JPR Williams The Guardian Unlimited Archived from the original on 20 January 2008 Thomas Clem Thomas Greg 2013 125 Years of the British and Irish Lions The Official History illustrated ed Random House p iv ISBN 9781780577388 Battle of Boet Erasmus remembered News24 3 June 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2016 1995 RWC Battle of Boet Erasmus South Africa vs Canada Rugby Dump 4 June 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2016 External links EditPhotos of Stadiums in South Africa at cafe daum net stade Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title EPRU Stadium amp oldid 1148615319, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
