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History of Transvaal
The Transvaal rugby union was founded in 1889, which makes it the 4th oldest rugby union in South Africa.
The first rugby match by Transvaal was played on Saturday, 31 August 1889
against Griquas in Kimberley. Transvaal played it's home fixtures at the
Wanderers until 1928, when Ellis Park was used for the first time.
The area where Ellis Park is situated was identified in 1927, and the TRFU
negotiated with Mr JD Ellis (after whom Ellis Park was named) from the
Johannesburg City Council, who made 13 acres of land available, and building
commenced. The stadium was built in 8 months, and was used for the first
time in 1928.
Ellis Park was upgraded to a modern stadium during 1980 and 1981, when
matches were played at the Wanderers again, and currently has a capacity of
62500.
The name of the union was changed from Transvaal to the Lions in 1993 and to
the Golden Lions in 1998.
The very last team that played as Transvaal was the team that played against an
Italian XV on a tour match on 25 November 1992.
Honours:
Super 10: 1993
Currie Cup (9): 1922, 1939, 1950, 1952, 1971 (shared), 1972, 1993, 1994,
1999.
Lion Cup (5): 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994
Vodacom Cup (4): 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004
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