Local rugby unions forking out millions to host Springbok Tests

As the Springbok team prepare for the start of the 2024 season, reports have emerged to suggest that local hosting unions have been hit hard by hosting costs as SA Rugby seek to recover a total of R85 million.

According to City Press, the Bulls and the Sharks will have to offer up around R15 million to host the Springbok Tests against Ireland in July, while the Lions and Western Province have to pay R20 million each for the highly anticipated All Blacks Rugby Championship games.

The Pumas will apparently also have to pay up R10 million for the Argentina Test, and the Cheetahs will have to pay a fee of R5 million for the one-off Portugal match.

“Due to the high hosting fees, you actually can’t host any Test profitably unless you have a good relationship with the local municipality,” one administrator was quoted as saying. “Since the test represents an economic boost for your city and region, one hopes your municipality will contribute financially to the guarantee amount that must be paid so that unions can make money from hosting tests.

“Unfortunately, not all franchises have those relationships with their municipalities. One hopes franchises will be informed earlier about the guarantee amounts for the respective tests going forward.”

CONFIRMED SPRINGBOK FIXTURES FOR 2024:

Saturday, 22 June: SA vs Wales (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 6 July: SA vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: SA vs Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: SA vs Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, 10 August: Australia vs SA (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday, 17 August: Australia vs SA (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, 31 August: SA vs New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: SA vs New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 21 September: Argentina vs SA (venue TBC)
Saturday, 28 September: SA vs Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela)
16/17 November: England vs SA (Twickenham, London – date TBC)

ALSO READ: Three takeaways from the Springboks alignment camp squad

BLOCKBUSTER SCHEDULE

Last month, it was confirmed that the Springboks will start their Test season with a clash against Wales at the iconic Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, 22 June.

It now adds to a blockbuster Test schedule, with 11 fixtures confirmed for the Springboks in 2024. In mid-November, a clash against England for the end-of-year tour has also been confirmed, which will take place on either 16 or 17 November.

In all likelihood, there are still set to be two more Tests added to the end of year tour schedule, but it’s clear that this year is already shaping up to be an extremely busy one for the Springboks.