In a move set to shake up the local rugby landscape, SARU yesterday announced that the national body would henceforth take full control of all test matches hosted in the country, rather than the current system where tests are essentially “franchised” out to the union at whose stadium they are held.
This change, ratified by the SARU exco after “consultation with the 14 provincial unions” essentially means that SARU will take over the running of the test matches, seeing all gate takings flowing to the national body, from where they can be distributed (or not) to provincial unions as is deemed fair. I would imagine that the union whose stadium is used will probably receive a higher proportion of the profits than the others, but the current “lottery” system where hosting a big test can significantly benefit one union to the detriment of others seems to have ended.
It remains to be seen whether fans buying season tickets through provincial unions will continue to enjoy test match rugby as part of those packages; the signs would point to that right coming to an end, since tickets to a test at Kings Park, for example, are no longer the Sharks’ to sell.
SARU has also announced the Bok home test schedule for the next three years, including an exciting quadrangular tournament next year between the Boks, Scotland, Samoa and Italy, that will see a series of double-header fixtures at both Mbombela Stadium and Kings Park, before an exciting climax at Loftus Versveld.
Bok home tests for 2013-2015:
2013 Quadrangular
· Saturday, June 8 (Mbombela Stadium): Scotland v Samoa; Springboks v Italy
· Saturday, June 15 (Mr Price Kings Park): Samoa v Italy; Springboks v Scotland
· Saturday, June 22 (Loftus Versfeld): Team 3 v Team 4 ; Team 1 v Team 2
2013 Castle Rugby Championship:
· Saturday, August 17 (Free State Stadium): Springboks v Argentina
· Saturday, September 28 (Newlands): Springboks v Australia
· Saturday, October 5 (Coca-Cola Park): Springboks v New Zealand
2014 Fixtures (dates to be confirmed):
· Castle Incoming Tour: Springboks v Wales (Johannesburg)
· Castle Incoming Tour: Springboks v Wales (Nelspruit)
· Castle Incoming Tour: Springboks v Scotland (Port Elizabeth)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Argentina (Pretoria)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Australia (Cape Town)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v New Zealand (Johannesburg)
2015 Fixtures (no Castle Incoming Tour due to Rugby World Cup):
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Argentina (Cape Town)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Australia (Durban)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v New Zealand (Johannesburg)
*Please note: All fixtures subject to the agreement of commercial terms with planned hosting venues.
Tweet
Next test for PE is only 2014, not feeling to excited about the Scots 😕
@pierre_mackie (Comment 1) : DBN not getting any 2014 😕
Oh boy, more gravy for the gravy train 😐
Durban getting one lousy Scotland match 😈
Scotland Italy and Samoa – good warm up games before the Rugby Championship – we should win comfortably which will enable us to garner more points in the IRB rankings and so get ”up there” more easily. Currently we play hard tests against Australia and NZ before an exhausting tour of the NH.
I doubt the Sharks were in favour of this move, but their failure to sell out their test match this year must have counted against them.
@robdylan (Comment 6) : Loftus and Soccer City was only half full as well with Aus and NZ there…
I see this move to changing future test matches to Green Point and Moses Mabhida stadiums.
@robdylan (Comment 6) : One can hardly blame people for not wanting to cough up hard-earned bucks to go and watch the Boks plonk through a match.
In hindsight, I could have spent my time more productively by watching my pc defrag than by yawning my way through some of the crap rugby dished up this year under Meyer.
Dbn people obviously have beter things to do with their money.
@rhineshark (Comment 8) : like what? They didn’t go to the Currie Cup final either…
@rhineshark (Comment 8) : @robdylan (Comment 9) : You do realise that we have the Indian Ocean? Beautiful golden beaches, perfect weather (most of the time) – yeah we’ve got plenty to do, hence the influx of Vaalies this time of year. 😉
@FireTheLooser (Comment 10) : yeah, that’s fine. But then Durban must be happy with winning lifeguarding/beach volleyball trophies and leave rugby to the areas where it is supported…
@robdylan (Comment 11) : If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – Kings Park needs a genuine Big Screen (or two, or 4, like the Texas Cowboys, that’ll draw a crowd).
Frankly the facilities at Kings Park sucks, it is in desperate need of a serious upgrade. It is far more comfortable watching the game on my Flat Screen in HD, in the comfort of my own home, and if we lose, I don’t have the long drive home.
Sadly the ball was dropped with Moses Mabida Stadium….it will never be able to properly host a rugby game.
@robdylan (Comment 9) : Like DSTV and beer?
2013 Castle Rugby Championship:
· Saturday, August 17 (Free State Stadium): Springboks v Argentina
· Saturday, September 28 (Newlands): Springboks v Australia
· Saturday, October 5 (Coca-Cola Park): Springboks v New Zealand
Stadiums named?
2014 Fixtures (dates to be confirmed):
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Argentina (Pretoria)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v Australia (Cape Town)
· Castle Rugby Championship: Springboks v New Zealand (Johannesburg)
No Stadiums named, could it be CT Stadium and Soccer city? (No need to involve the unions)
What has happened to the rotation policy for The Rugby Championships. Aus playing in CT, NZ playing in Jhb in consecutive years ❓ THAT is why I believe those 2014 matches will be at CT stadium and Soccer city.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 10) : AVALANCHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The annual rock slide to Durban. 😉
I wonder what they’ll be doing wrt the suites? Might be this is in some way part of the future negotiations.
The suites at Newlands, for example, are sold on a ten year basis.
If those suite holders now suddenly don’t qualify for the games under the new regime then presumably there’ll be some refunds the unions will need to cough up?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 15) : We used to call them speedbumps. They always get in the way of the surfers and the bodyboarders.
@lostfish (Comment 17) : yet you LOOOOOOVED the money they brought to the area 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 18) : hehe, at that stage I didn’t care about things like that I just used to get annoyed that swimming areas were enlarged and surfing areas were minimised and it was crowded. But yeah, if it wasn’t for the avalanche from the hypoxic plateau then Durban would not be what it is.