EPRU Stadium

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 Stadium
The Boet
Full nameEastern Province Rugby Union Stadium
Former namesBoet Erasmus Stadium
LocationLa Roche Drive
Summerstrand
Port Elizabeth
South Africa
Coordinates33°58′55″S 25°38′22″E
OwnerNelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
OperatorEastern Province Rugby Union
Capacity33,852
Field size100m X 70m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Closed2010
Demolished2019
Tenants
Mighty Elephants (Currie Cup) (1959 - 2010)
Bay United (PSL/NFD) (2008 - 2010)

Background

Music

On 6 March 2007, Irish vocal pop band Westlife held a concert for The Love Tour supporting their album The Love Album.

Rugby

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 demolished in 2019.

International tournaments

1995 Rugby World Cup
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 Attendance
1995-05-26 Canada34-3 RomaniaGroup A18,000
1995-05-31 Australia27-11 CanadaGroup A15,000
1995-06-03 South Africa20-0 CanadaGroup A31,000

1996 African Cup of Nations
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 Attendance
1996-01-14Ghana Ghana2–0Ivory Coast Ivory CoastGroup D8,000
1996-01-16Tunisia Tunisia1–1Mozambique MozambiqueGroup D1,000
1996-01-19Ghana Ghana2–1Tunisia TunisiaGroup D1,000
1996-01-21Ivory Coast Ivory Coast1–0Mozambique MozambiqueGroup D500
1996-01-24Algeria Algeria2–1Burkina Faso Burkina FasoGroup B180
1996-01-25Tunisia Tunisia3–1Ivory Coast Ivory CoastGroup D1,000
1996-01-28Ghana Ghana1–0Zaire ZaireQuarterfinals8,000

2010 FIFA World Cup

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was used as a logistics point for Port Elizabeth, a host city.

International matches

Rugby
Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
1960-04-30 South Africa South Africa 18-10  Scotland Test match 24,000
1960-08-27 South Africa South Africa 8-3 New Zealand Test match 53,000
1961-08-12 South Africa South Africa 23-11 Australia Test match 26,000
1962-06-30Eastern Province6-21British LionsTour match
1963-09-07 South Africa South Africa 22-6 Australia Test match 48,600
1968-05-29Eastern Province14-23British LionsTour match
1968-06-22South Africa South Africa6-6British LionsTest match70,000
1970-08-29 South Africa South Africa 14-3 New Zealand Test match 55,000
1974-05-25South Africa South Africa9-26British LionsTest match55,000
1974-06-13Eastern Province14-28British LionsTour match
1980-05-10Eastern Province16-28British LionsTour match
1980-06-28 South Africa South Africa 12-10 British Lions Test match 45,000
1984-06-02 South Africa South Africa 33-15 England Test match 46,000
1994-10-08  South Africa 42-22 Argentina Test match 28,000
1995-06-03  South Africa 20-0 Canada Test match 31,000
1997-05-24Eastern Province XV11-39British LionsTour match
1999-06-12  South Africa 74-3 Italy Test match 35,000
2001-06-30  South Africa 60-14 Italy Test match 35,000
2003-06-28  South Africa 26-25 Argentina Test match 25,000
2005-06-25  South Africa 27-13 France Test match 35,000
2006-06-17 South Africa29-15 ScotlandTest match25,844

Football
Date Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
2000-07-29 South Africa0–1 Zimbabwe2000 COSAFA Cup#Semi-Final
2003-06-14 South Africa2–1 Trinidad and TobagoInternational Friendly28,000
2006-11-12 South Africa2–3 SenegalNelson Mandela Challenge
2008-06-01 South Africa0–1 Nigeria2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier30,000

See also

References
  1. Lambley, Garrin (11 July 2013). "So sad. Boet Erasmus in Ruin". Sport24. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. Foster, Grant (15 November). "Former EP Rugby home in ruins". SA Promo. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. "Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 13 July 1974". Official Website of the British and Irish Lions. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006.
  4. Byron, George (14 May 2005). "Recalling those legendary 'Battles of the Boet'". Weekend Post. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009.
  5. Staff (24 November 2002). "Sports File: Caught in Time: Lions in South Africa, 1974". The Sunday Times.
  6. 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.
  7. Doyle, Paul (6 October 2006). "Small talk: JPR Williams". The Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
  8. Thomas, Clem; Thomas, Greg (2013). 125 Years of the British and Irish Lions: The Official History (illustrated ed.). Random House. p. iv. ISBN 9781780577388.
  9. "'Battle of Boet Erasmus' remembered". News24. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  10. "1995 RWC Battle of Boet Erasmus - South Africa vs Canada". Rugby Dump. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
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