Without a question, the Springboks are the world’s best rugby team.
You are the greatest rugby-playing country on the earth if your model is to perform at your peak once every four years in order to win the Rugby World Cup, and if you succeed in that event by defeating all other teams in that competition.
It is a tremendous accomplishment for South Africa to do that back-to-back, and it is difficult to see how the Springboks brand could currently be any higher.
However, Johan Le Roux, the new CEO of the Stormers, said this this week.
It is a tremendous accomplishment for South Africa to do that back-to-back, and it is difficult to see how the Springboks brand could currently be any higher.
However, Johan Le Roux, the new CEO of the Stormers, said this this week.
Earlier this week, SA Rugby disclosed that, in order to bring the Bulls to the United Kingdom for this weekend’s Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Northampton, the organization had to pay almost $340,000 for airfare.
They told you could move to Europe and make plenty of money. Well, not quite yet. Furthermore, as SA Rugby president Mark Alexander has stated in remarks about their financial status, Super Rugby had actually been profitable for them (the Stormers, in a stroke of genius, this week shared a “flashback” message on social media, referencing a Stormers-Chiefs match from 2017 that drew 34,700 spectators to Cape Town).
Naturally, there are important disclaimers in this. In the belief that they will begin to benefit in the upcoming years after becoming fully paid members of the European club, South Africans are currently paying their way into full membership in European competitions.
Private money has been invested in their teams as a result, albeit Sharks fans, who are currently experiencing financial difficulties due to the fact that their team is not even assured of making it to the Champions Cup next year, should be a little uneasy.
However, isn’t the whole relocation to Europe beginning to resemble the traditional notion of a “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” that permeates professional sports, including rugby?
Le Roux made the point that, in actuality, nobody can predict how large the prize will be for South African sides.
Indeed, the French clubs appear to be doing well, but this is mostly due to the lucrative television agreement they receive from their national rivals.
Moreover, given the success of the Champions Cup, what could be the reason for the European teams’ strong interest in a World Club Rugby competition featuring a format that benefits the Super Rugby Pacific teams?
Naturally, the Rebels are proof that all of the Super Rugby teams in this region of the world are competing in very challenging markets. Not every one, though, results in a loss. This masthead is aware that the Chiefs, Blues, and Crusaders all ended up with a positive ledger in 2023 (the provincial unions that own shares in them disclose in the annual accounts whether that shareholding was a booked deficit or surplus). The well-managed Reds enjoyed a surplus last year.
Although nobody is deluding themselves about rugby’s problems, I believe that overall, the negative perception of Super Rugby Pacific and the positive perception of Europe are exaggerated.
What does that mean for our friends in South Africa? The Springboks are the greatest team in the world, as was mentioned at the beginning, thus it makes sense that they are missed on the field. However, my suspicion is that in the long run, they may return to Super Rugby due to the exorbitant expense of staying competitive in European rugby.
