World Cup-winning Springbok captain John Smit is available to Western Province, but also to the Bulls, and he won’t be coming cheap, having set his price tag at a whopping R1,5-million salary before he commits himself to either province.
Dale Granger writes in the Cape Argus that Craig Livingstone, Smit’s agent, did not comment on the R1,5-million salary Smit is demanding, which would easily be the richest provincial contract in South African rugby and about R500 000 more than the sum other Bok stars, such as Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger, are currently earning.
The World Cup-winning skipper has been released from his two-year contract with French club Clermont and has made himself available to either Province, his former team the Sharks, or the Bulls.
Although the Sharks have said publicly that they will only consider player movement after the Super 14, it is believed that they want to retain Bismarck du Plessis as their No 1 hooker and are unlikely to bring Smit back to Durban.
In another twist to the saga over where the Springbok captain will end up playing his local rugby, both the Bulls and Western Province suggested that Smit’s agent was pricing him out of the market and would have to readjust before either union would consider contracting the Bok captain.
“We are almost seven months into the financial year and the question is: how much rugby playing time and game time would be required to justify that kind of salary?” said Western Province managing director Rob Wagner.
Wagner said it was an accepted reality that the southern hemisphere could not compete against northern hemisphere salaries (up to £400 000 [around R6-million] per annum) and that it was unrealistic for players returning home from Europe to expect to continue earning in South Africa rands what they had been banking abroad in euros or pounds.
Ian Schwartz, business manager of the Blue Bulls, said the Loftus franchise was very keen on Smit, but would only sign him onto their books within the parameters of a “reasonable budget”.
“John Smit is a brand leader and he is one of the players you would go out of your way to sign, but within the boundaries of a reasonable contract.
“He is a Pretoria boytjie who played Craven Week rugby in blue and we would be stupid not to be interested in his services. What is important to us is that the senior players, guys like Fourie du Preez and Bakkies Botha, really admire John. They regard him as special and want to play for him and that is why now that he is back, he should play provincial rugby.
“But somebody is going to have to come to the party,” said Schwartz.
The Bulls were only able to bring Victor Matfield back from France, where he was playing for Toulon, after a private firm in Pretoria had agreed to underwrite part of his salary in exchange for image rights.
Schwartz said a similar type of deal may have to be brokered for Smit.
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Fair dues to him – he’s the WC winning captain and SARU wants him back, not the other way round.
Did you really expect his agrent to come in with a pitch that was less than that of Jean de Villiers? And then get negotiated down after that?
Madness. And poor insight by Granger. I expect mroe from veteran scribes like him.
I think SA Rugby should pay part of his salary considering he will be playing more for them then any province he make join this year….in terms of pure need, the Bulls must top the list of provinces lining up for John.
Did the rand crash again. Since when is €400,000 = ‘around R60-million’? 😈
Would be strange to see him in a Bulls jersey.
Ja but Vinnie, we are talking an amount that is 50% more than younger players like Schalk & JDV – its still a helluva big amount to “come down” with! And us readers don’t know whether Smit’s agent is playing hardball – who knows if he’s even open to negotiating a lesser amount.
or £400,000….
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 6) :
Sorry I edited that before you posted the comment, you weren’t hallucinating.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 7) : Thanks, sjoe, almost thought I had some dodgy eggs for breakfast.
What I find strange and i am sure we will hear more later.
In my line of work, ANY line of work actually……You don’t resign before you have another job.
Has Smit left Clermont without a contract in SA? Surely not. He will probably have a SARU contract as well, which should already be signed.
ok – so I am now posting on the wrong thread… didn’t know you buggers had moved.
OK, so can WP HONESTLY only be paying Jean and Schalk half a mil a year each? That’s peanuts… I was earning more as a bloody software consultant!
It still says R60 million.
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 10) :
But did you get an additional Bok Salary, endorsements, free car etc etc
and the adulation of millions. 😀
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 11) :
No it doesn’t 😉
@Dive Pass (Comment 12) : yes – that’s definitely true. But I would still expect top provincial contracts to be closer to the 750-800 mark. And we still aren’t taking the “Lensing Precedent” into account.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 13) : would “tens” count? 😉
@Dive Pass (Comment 12) :
The SARFU salary will also be pretty substantial – for example the England performance squad (extended english team) sit on £100,000 p.a in addition to their club salary – which we all know is not to small…
Is Craig Livingstone the richest rep in RSA?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 18) :
Are we taking registered or unregistered? 😉
@Dive Pass (Comment 19) :
@KSA Shark © (Comment 14) : Can you do something about the pig that just flew past my window? 😛
OK, so is Smittie looking for R1.5M just from his province? How dis this stack up to the R3M in total that Big Vic is getting? Anyone know what percentages of that amount will be paid by the Bulls, SARU and the “mysterious corporate benefactor” respectively?
Where do you guys get 500,000 from for Schalk etc. My maths says it’s 1 mil?
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 21) : Pork is cheap
To make his living from ‘repping’…
I’m sure rugby 365 did an arti about salaries a while back. And the top boks get 1 mil plus.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 23) : “about R500 000 more than the sum other Bok stars, such as Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger, are currently earning.”
Whoops… I must have misread that
I took it as meaning that R1M was the sum of what Schalk and Jean were earning… but re-reading it, it clearly says they make about 1M each
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 21) :
You drinking the same tea as CSB ?
A few years ago Bolla was earning 800K a year at WP, im sure Jean and Schalk are earning a fair amount of cash.
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 24) : 😀
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 27) : Easy mistake to make. Happens to the best of us. KSA could’ve have edited it also. He’s changed it about 10 times already. 😉
@PJLD (Comment 28) : I’m a ‘coffee only’ man.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 29) : ok, ok, ok… it is my fault. Guys – we can assume the WP’s top boks are earning somewhere around R1M a year from their provincial contracts alone.
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 32) :
Sheesh, took you a while…
Comment 29 was a smile at the pork joke. I’m confused. 😕
ok – I’m also confused.
Quinny – we’re not all financial high-flyers here 😉
i wonder if any of these okes ever refuse the free car? i reckon if i was earning enough i would refuse it, u look like a real chop driving around in a car with your name on it.
as much as i would want him back at the sharks, i feel that he may be able to make the most impact at the bulls, they are short hookers. but i wonder what issues would be raised if he were to go there. who would be captain, john or matfield?
@knersboy (Comment 36) : Agreed. Bit common too (the car) imho.
@knersboy (Comment 36) :
For sure – you can’t take any cute girls for a quick spin in your car with your name blazened on the door.
That is – if you are married or semi-attached.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 37) :
Depends what car you are “offered”… for the life of me I still can’t understand WHY Flawless Lawless accepted the Hyundai sponsorship back in the day, I mean REALLY…
Smit had a sweet deal with Jeep a couple of seasons ago – got the latest models.
I quite like Ruan Fourie’s car – he has a 4 x 4 with something like “Sharks medical team” on the door. Nice car – don’t ask me what it is though.
It can even be a Ferrari. If it’s got writing on the door or any body panel, I’m not interested. Unless I’m a racing driving taking part in a race. 😀
But I don’t like driving too fast.
@Nessa (Comment 39) :
Hmmmm must tell your hubby about how your mind works…. 😉
@Nessa (Comment 41) :
Last time I know Steven had one of those Renault Megan F1 Limited editions… 😀
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 43) :
Bangat!! 😈
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 45) : or sumthing to that effect…I am not clued up on cars… 🙄
As good a captain as Smith is he is nowhere near the player that Bismark is. Go to the Bulls I say
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 46) : Rather ‘bang jan as dooie jan’. 🙂
Slow and steady gets you there.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 49) :
Geez Rachel – jy is mos ‘n held, man!! Japie Greyling… 😉
My gat eenkeer gesien. That was enough. 😀
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 52) : As racheltjie off course… 🙄
@Nessa (Comment 41) : Ruan has a lot of cars. He also has a Merc 500 SL. I think he might have bought that one himself
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 53) :
Carry on by using that nick and you gonna see your gat still plenty of times!! 😉
i just had an idea. maybe if u have your name on your car in big letters you have less chance of being hijacked. gonna put on my car:
“Knersboy, sponsored by APLA”
@knersboy (Comment 56) : robdylan, sponsored by Durex 😉
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 57) : “The one that got away” 😉
@knersboy (Comment 56) :
Not always true – I think someone has hijacked Naas Olivier because I sure havent seen or heard of him for a long time.
@Salmonoid (Comment 59) :
Isn’t he playing 3rd div in Yugoslavia somewhere?
@PJLD (Comment 60) :
That would explain quiete a bit.
@PJLD (Comment 60) : He’s on the bench for the Ulan Bataar Raiders
Not really yugo,but italy or sumfing
Naas olivier has written on his car
“Peter Grant, sponsored by…”
@PJLD (Comment 63) : French second division, I think
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 65) :
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 62) :
No actually, Auch – bottom of Top14 & soon to be second division.
2 wins from 22 games this season… 🙄
No wonder Perpiganan don’t mind Monty missing their game vs Auch. 😯
@Le Requinny (Comment 66) :
Well it makes senses that after hiring Naas they are now bottom of the Top 14….
!!!!!!!!!GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!!!!!!!!
@Le Requinny (Comment 66) : isn’t that the same club that de Waal was with?
@PJLD (Comment 68) : man you-who?
@PJLD (Comment 68) :
Forget it
Tsar Abramovitch has issued directives as to who will win and by what score.
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 69) :
non, he is with Narbonne in Div 2.
@Salmonoid (Comment 71) :
Ons sal sien gaazie, ding gaan ruk vanaand!
@Le Requinny (Comment 72) : Gah! I can’t keep up.
@PJLD (Comment 73) :
By the way I hope you are right but Im afraid that right about now the guys are starting to feel the first stirrings of the salmonella laced sandwich that those stunning waitress’ fed them earlier.
They propbably still have to witness a Chechen seperatist attack on the adjoining hotel as they board the team bus. 😈
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 22) :
That Benefactor is not mysterious BTW. I actually posted it in the comment somewhere when it was announced. I will see if i can find it?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 76) : until you do, it will remain mysterious – to me, at least 😉
Here you go.
I see it is now clear how the Bulls have managed to afford matfields return.
Denis – Dental Information Systems is a proud supporter of the Vodacom Bulls as well as the Vodacom Blue Bulls and what is more the magnificent Springbok lock Victor Matfield, who has recently sign a lengthy contract with his beloved Bulls, will work closely with them in the future…………..
…………The CEO of Denis, Dr Frans Coetsee said “we are privileged and enthusiastic in securing Victor Matfield`s involvement with the Denis group of companies.”
“We see extreme value in the association of Victor’s sporting career and our dental range of products in the market. We are also very privileged that Victor’s wife, Monja, who is also a qualified Dental Surgeon, will be a part of our winning team.”
Comment 1, posted at 10.05.08 07:23:59 by KSA Shark © Edit
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 77) :
mystery solved 😉
Thank heavens they are in the dental business and not the language business, who spun that highlighted section (press release). I trust it wasnt you KSA.
@racheltjiedebeer (Comment 30) :
i could have, but you’ll neeeeever know.
@Salmonoid (Comment 80) :
i copied it from the press release on the bulls site. deleted some text in the middle but no language or spelling corrections were made 😉
This bit does it for me –
“the magnificent Springbok lock Victor Matfield, who has recently sign a lengthy contract with his beloved Bulls”.
Some serious sugar here.
@Salmonoid (Comment 83) : surprised. Although he does have nice teeth.
Would have thought a company specialising in beard grooming products would have been a better bet.
Peace out gents, i will join yout company with a hangover that will make Morne proud.
@PJLD (Comment 85) :
cheers dude.
On the news –
Ernie Els sounding very chuffed with himself because Alex Fergusson replied to his sms with best wishes for tonights game. He described some of the Chelsea players as “monsters”. Im sure he was refering to their size.
@Salmonoid (Comment 83) :
You’d think, they are propbably more interested in his wife than him.
Till tomorrow, cheers all.
@Salmonoid (Comment 87) :
Ernie supports ManU???? 😯
That explains why I have always disliked him. 🙄
Any idea what S14 Rugby team he supports
@KSA Shark © (Comment 90) : Free State.
@robdylan (Sharks Forever!) (Comment 91) : shame poor guy.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 92) : I’m guessing