SARrugby.com

Every year,Forbes,Deloitte,IFFHS all release their top 20 richest clubs list,also known as the Money Leagues regarding soccer.It got me thinking,does rugby have such lists?? If so,where would our unions(provincial or SUper Rugby) rank with regards to issues such as TV revenue,match day revenue,merchandising,player sales etc?? 

Forbes list of the 50 most valuable sports teams do not have a single Rugby team on it.

Na United is number one and the rest consist mostly of American Football, Football, Baseball plus Ferarri and McClaren F1 teams. Those are the only sports represented on the list which says alot about the money going around.

If i would take a guess as to the most valuable rugby team in the world I would maybe suggest that it be either one of the following:

 Toulon, Toulousse, Racing Metro, Stade Francais, London Wasps

Just a guess

Ek

I was having coffee one day with Dr Louis Luyt in Ballito - when a gentleman walked in and then left for Zimbali.   Dr Luyt told me that there was really a wealthy man.  he bought a house in Zimbali and still lives there - I believe.

He was the owner of Stade Francais Rugby Club abd the Paris St Germaine Soccer Club.  Nice guy - wonder whether he is still the owner? 

Currently Paris St Germaine is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority.

Daniel Hechter the Fashion guy owned the club in the seventies, he got banned from football for life after a double ticket scandalat Parc de Princes a strategy to reduce the clubs deficit.....

He was replaced in the 78 by Francis Borelli who whas in charge for 13 years and the club ended in huge debt in the erly 1990's.

French TV channel canal+ purchased it it 1991, this boosted the income of the club from televised games significantly and it became one of the richest clubs in france. Canal+ Managed the club through Michel Denisot as president. Denisot left in 1998 and the club was ran into the ground with a huge deficit.

The club was sold in to another consortium in 2009 who sold it to the Qatar Investment authority in 2011.

So the last single owner of the club was Francis Borelli, in the 80's and early 90's,  don't know if he ever owned Sted Francias.

I do know that Stade Francais was for years one of the weaker teams in French rugby. This changed ater 1992, when Max Guazzini bought the club, he sold his major stake in the club in 2011. but he never owned the Football club.

Those are the only two possible candidates for the person you met with Dr Luyt. It could have been an interesting meeting.

Ek

I cannot exactly remember when that meeting took place - I met with him a number of times over the years - but I believe that the meeting would have been somewhere aroound 1997  or 1998.   At a later meeting Dr Luyt told me about a visit by Van Rooyen - just before he became SARU President to get his support for the then fortchcoming elction as president.   That I think was somewhere around 2000.

Anyway I think the guy was Max Guazzini but cannot remember the name clearly and might be wrong.

must have been an interesting meeting.. I would have enjoyed picking the brain of a guy like that. Well both actually Dr Luyt and Guazzini (if it was him)

 All of you guys are looking in the wrong place for the richest rugby team....

The richest team is right here in your face.

EP QUEENS........they have all your tax money behind them.

Just ask "Shower Head"

He, He.

PSG were bought in 2010/11 season by the new Qatari owners.

But on the domestic front,in what order would our teams rank?

EK,

London Wasps? What made you guess that?

Ek

After checking up on Wikipedia I am sure the guy Louis Luyt introduced me to was Max Guazzini.  I must have been wrong about Paris St Germain Soccer.  Wikipedia refer to another rugby club Athletica St Germain - which was merged with Guiszzini;s outfit to form Stade Francais