Saru following ‘due process’ on Roux
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says the financial incentive of having South African teams playing in the European Rugby Champions Cup is not the main motivating factor for wanting to play in the competition.
South Africa’s four franchises – the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions – play in the United Rugby Championship, with the first three currently in the top eight.
With there being a financial reward for the teams that gain entry into the European Rugby Champions Cup – albeit only to the franchises – teams have even more to play for and top their regional shields.
Speaking about the opportunity, Alexander said the main incentive is playing more top teams.
“I think it’s not a financial thing,” Alexander said on the sidelines of the Carling Champions Match launch in Johannesburg yesterday.
“We want our players to play in better competitions, we want them to play against top teams around the world, so if you look at those competitions ... currently we are playing against (teams from) four other countries. If we move on, we will play against six other countries, the best teams in the world.
“Look at Munster: between them and Munster, you have the Irish team.
We are playing in top-class company, and it can only raise the bar and make us better as a rugby union.”
With reports of the Wales Rugby Union possibly cutting one of the Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets or Dragons from the start of the 2023-24 season, the Cheetahs – who have been on the lookout for a competition to join – come to mind.
But Alexander said that it is too soon to speculate whether a gap could in fact open for the Bloemfontein outfit. “We are always looking at opportunities for the Cheetahs. I think we should just wait until later this month … there will be a little announcement. There might be opportunities, but everything is only for sure once you sign a document,” he said.
“We are creating opportunities, and we believe that we have eight franchises in the country currently. We are trying to make sure that all of them can play, but it is all about money. By entering the competition, the competition must be able to pay the bills.”
On the Jurie Roux matter, Alexander asked for patience as the organisation deals with the issue pertaining to the SA Rugby chief executive, who lost a legal battle against his former employer, Stellenbosch University, for the misappropriation of funds.
Last December, he lost his appeal that ordered him to pay R37million to the university.
“We are exchanging documents with our legal teams … I do not want to talk about that. Please be patient – we are not going to be pushed by the public making decisions for us. We are going down a process,” Alexander said.
“It could be risky, the things we are doing, and we need to follow proper due process. When we are, we are currently busy with it, but when we are there, we will announce it. There are things that we are busy with.”