Boks' home Tests until 2015
Dec 06,2012
The Springboks will face their Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool B opponents, Scotland and Samoa (as well as Italy), in an innovative new tournament featuring double-header Test matches in 2013, the South African Rugby Union announced on Thursday.
Fans will be able to watch two Test matches for the price of one after a ground-breaking decision of SARU's executive council overhauled the way that Test matches are run in South Africa.
For the first time in Springbok history, Test matches will be solely hosted by the mother body.
The decision was taken by the executive council after consulting the 14 member provinces. The executive council also took the unique step of announcing the Test schedule for the next three seasons - featuring Tests in Nelspruit for the first time.
However, SARU cautioned that all matches were subject to conclusion of commercial terms with planned hosting venues.
"SARU was the only major union in world rugby that didn’t properly own its own Test matches," said CEO Jurie Roux.
"The decision by the executive council now gives ownership to SARU.
"The key benefits will be in allowing us to plough a share of the profits back into all the provincial unions and, that by controlling the ticket office and all commercial activity in the stadium, we will be able to provide an experience for our stakeholders on a par with what we experience when playing overseas."
Roux explained that the existing model had seen SARU effectively 'sell' Springbok Test matches to the major provinces.
The Test-hosting unions paid a rights fee (the amount of which was dependent on the stature of the opponent) and then set ticket prices and kept all receipts as well as commercialising aspects of the match as they saw fit.
"This is a major change in how rugby is run and will present challenges," said Roux.
"But the major effect is that it has placed Springbok Tests in the ownership of the mother body, for the benefit of all rugby’s stakeholders.
"We are taking the Springboks to a new venue in 2013 and have an exciting new competition format for the June Tests - by coincidence against two of our Rugby World Cup opponents of 2015.
"We have also been able to map out a home fixture schedule for the next three years - something the provinces had also wanted."
The new-look quadrangular tournament for 2013 is between the Springboks, their RWC 2015 opponents, Scotland and Samoa, as well as Italy.
The tournament - which will be played on a log basis over two rounds to determine finalists - will open at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on June 8.
The fixtures are:
Incoming Tour 2013:
- 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 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):
- Incoming Tour: Springboks v Wales (Johannesburg)
- Incoming Tour: Springboks v Wales (Nelspruit)
- Incoming Tour: Springboks v Scotland (Port Elizabeth)
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v Argentina (Pretoria)
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v Australia (Cape Town)
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v New Zealand (Johannesburg)
2015 Fixtures (No Incoming Tour due to Rugby World Cup):
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v Argentina (Cape Town)
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v Australia (Durban)
- Rugby Championship: Springboks v New Zealand (Johannesburg)
Comments (11)
Dec 07, 2012 at 10:56:29
Lol! Is SARU so desperate to fill their empty trophy cabinet that they need to manufacture a farcical tournament, at home, against second tiered opposition? Hehehehe. Oh dear. How low can the once mighty bokke get? Italy? Scotland? Samoa? (a decent team on a good day to be fair) Lol? SARU has their RWC blinkers on again as though it were the be all end all of international test rugby.
Dec 07, 2012 at 15:15:52
NZ just played Scotland and nearly got beat- they GOT BEAT by England ( whom the Boks beat the previous week you tool!!!!!
Dec 07, 2012 at 23:06:40
Errrrm..... The ABs thrashed Scotland 51 to22. What the retarded Bok are you talking about? Get it right Einstein. If a 29 point winning margin equates to " just about got beat" then the impotent soft boks have been owned all year. Lol!!!
Dec 08, 2012 at 03:53:25
Hahahahahaha nukefreesaffa supports the men in black because he won't support the black in green and gold then comforts himself with over an AB win against Scotland (the almighty threat in world rugby...insert a hint of sarcasm here).
Who lost to England? let's see...Oh yes, the ABs!!!!!
Dec 08, 2012 at 09:06:54
Pffft! I find comfort in the FACT that the ABs are the current #1 IRB team an honour the soft boks have only managed for a few short stints totalling less than an entire year, 6 months of which was over the rugby off season. Hahaha! I find comfort in knowing that the ABs are the inaugural CHampionship winners. I find comfort in the fact that the ABs are the current world champs and have consolidated their RWC status with a near flawless season ( please name the last year the limp boks played an entire test season and only dropped one game? Can't do it can ya Einstein? I find comfort knowing the boks are at their pitiable worst and their bitter fanboys are stunned to see their glory boy chumps shown up for the losers we all know they really are. BTW, a one point win over the poms thanks to the luckiest try in sporting history hardly inspires confidence. Yeah yeah. Play it up boi. Seen the SARU trophy cabinet lately? Bwahahahaha
Dec 08, 2012 at 16:48:54
Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn.....zzzzzzz
SARU's trophy may be empty this year but my pockets aren't (when you stick a few pennies on the underdog you win BIG) and that does make me the boi ha ha ha (sound of me laughing all the way to the bank).
So you can happily have all the accolades that go with supporting a good team, I'd rather have the money (wait a minute...I DO!!!!).
Incidentally, THE basic rule of competition, whether it's 1 point or (38-21=)17 points (see what I did there ha ha ha), a win is a win.
Dec 09, 2012 at 18:46:42
Nukie Nukie Nukie!!!! so predictable you are. he he!! Mate i think the rest of the rugby world are now chomping at the bit to have a go at the very much beatable AB's. They are good but hey boys not that good. . Bring on 2013. Jesus the poms ran riot over a virus ridden AB side WTF shame
Dec 09, 2012 at 18:48:38
oh yes, at least the boks walk away unbeaten from the tour to the NH. Regardless of a one pointer or the luckiest try in history. In the books it goes down as a win pal
Dec 09, 2012 at 23:13:53
one last thing before i end the day. Nukie you are a massive TWAT mate
Dec 07, 2012 at 08:22:54
Why play Samoa and risk having playing injured? Leave them out in the cold.