South African Rugby Union
Encyclopedia
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa
and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board
. It organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the Springboks
.
(SARB) and the non-racial South African Rugby Union signed at the Kimberley Sun Hotel. Kimberley was chosen as the venue for it had been the founding city of the South Africa Rugby Football Board in 1889 and the South Africa Coloured Rugby Board in 1896.
The new body's headquarters were at Newlands
. All committees were shared. The first presidents were Dr Danie Craven
(executive) and Mr Ebrahim Patel
. The new non-racial body meant readmission into international rugby after eight years of isolation due to apartheid.
SARU has 14 Provincial Unions as members – the Blue Bulls Rugby Union
(Pretoria), Boland (Wellington), Border (East London), Eastern Province (Port Elizabeth), Falcons (Springs), Free State (Bloemfontein), Golden Lions (Gauteng), Griffons (Welkom), Griqualand West (Kimberley), Leopards (Potchefstroom), Mpumalanga (Witbank), Natal (Durban), South Western Districts (George) and Western Province (Cape Town).
Unification was the first revolution for SARFU, whilst the second was the swift onset of professionalism in the wake of the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Enhanced commercialism and the need to run rugby as a business has provided the third and latest revolution.
In order to meet this challenge, SARFU, in August 2001, established a business arm – SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd – to manage all of its commercial activities locally and internationally.
SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd manages all aspects relating to national teams, brand building and protection, merchandising, sponsors and suppliers, media rights, marketing, tours and tournaments, financial services and medical services.
Early in 2005, the union adopted its current name.
, the training camp run by then-Boks coach Rudolph Straeuli
. Straeuli would resign, as did Rian Oberholzer, the managing director of South Africa Rugby (Pty) Ltd, the commercial arm of SARFU. Soon afterwards, SARFU president Silas Nkununu, facing a strong reelection challenge, withdrew from consideration for election, and van Rooyen was elected president. He soon became a highly polarising figure in South African sport, with detractors accusing him of financial shenanigans, favouritism, and general mismanagement. His management style was also widely perceived as autocratic.
One of the major gripes against the van Rooyen administration was the allocation of Springboks Test matches. The KwaZulu-Natal union did not receive a Tri Nations Test in either 2005 or 2006; the Free State union received no Tests in either year. Both unions, vocal opponents of van Rooyen, accused him of punishing them for their opposition.
However, the biggest bone of contention surrounded the expansion of the Super 12 to the Super 14
. SANZAR
, a consortium of the South African, Australian, and New Zealand governing bodies, expanded their Super 12 competition to 14 teams, a change that took effect in 2006. South Africa was entitled to add one franchise to the four from the Super 12 era. In a controversial move, the Southern Spears
franchise was assured a place in the 2007 and 2008 competitions, with an increasingly unpopular promotion/relegation system established to keep the total of South African Super 14 teams at its allotted five. Van Rooyen was widely viewed as being responsible for this arrangement, which was generally opposed by the existing Super 12/14 sides.
The South African government attempted to step in to address perceived problems within van Rooyen's administration, but he survived two years of attempts to oust him. Finally, at the 2006 SARU General Meeting, van Rooyen was voted out in favour of Oregan Hoskins, who immediately promised a more decentralised management style. Shortly after the election, it was alleged that van Rooyen had offered a bribe of ZAR
3 million (USD
485,000) plus a Springboks Test against France
to the Free State union in exchange for the union changing its vote in the presidential election in his favour. Hoskins soon announced that a planned investigation into van Rooyen's administration would go forward. As for the Spears issue, the SARU Presidents' Council issued a recommendation on 24 March that SA Rugby revisit the decision to admit the Spears. On 19 April, the decision to admit the Spears was officially overturned.
Rugby union in South Africa
Rugby union is a popular team sport played in South Africa. Along with cricket and football it is one of the most popular ball sports in South Africa...
and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
. It organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
History
Today's SARU, originally called the South African Rugby Football Union, was established on the 23 March 1992 following the unification of the former whites-only South African Rugby BoardSouth African Rugby Board
The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid....
(SARB) and the non-racial South African Rugby Union signed at the Kimberley Sun Hotel. Kimberley was chosen as the venue for it had been the founding city of the South Africa Rugby Football Board in 1889 and the South Africa Coloured Rugby Board in 1896.
The new body's headquarters were at Newlands
Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and is the wettest suburb in South Africa due to its high winter rainfall...
. All committees were shared. The first presidents were Dr Danie Craven
Danie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven , more famously known as Danie Craven or simply Doc Craven, is a former Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal and Springbok rugby union player as well as arguably South Africa's best and best-known rugby administrator...
(executive) and Mr Ebrahim Patel
Ebrahim Patel
Ebrahim Patel is a South African cabinet minister, holding the position of Minister of Economic Development-Background:Ebrahim Patel was born in 1962 in District Six in Cape Town....
. The new non-racial body meant readmission into international rugby after eight years of isolation due to apartheid.
SARU has 14 Provincial Unions as members – the Blue Bulls Rugby Union
Blue Bulls Rugby Union
The Blue Bulls Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Pretoria, South Africa, two neighboring municipalities in Gauteng Province, and all of Limpopo Province. Its main representative team, known in South Africa by its sponsorship name of Vodacom Blue Bulls , competes in South Africa's...
(Pretoria), Boland (Wellington), Border (East London), Eastern Province (Port Elizabeth), Falcons (Springs), Free State (Bloemfontein), Golden Lions (Gauteng), Griffons (Welkom), Griqualand West (Kimberley), Leopards (Potchefstroom), Mpumalanga (Witbank), Natal (Durban), South Western Districts (George) and Western Province (Cape Town).
Unification was the first revolution for SARFU, whilst the second was the swift onset of professionalism in the wake of the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Enhanced commercialism and the need to run rugby as a business has provided the third and latest revolution.
In order to meet this challenge, SARFU, in August 2001, established a business arm – SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd – to manage all of its commercial activities locally and internationally.
SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd manages all aspects relating to national teams, brand building and protection, merchandising, sponsors and suppliers, media rights, marketing, tours and tournaments, financial services and medical services.
Early in 2005, the union adopted its current name.
Current events
SARU is now attempting to recover from the tumultuous tenure of former president Brian van Rooyen. His tenure as SARU (then SARFU) president began in 2004, after the debacle of the 2003 World Cup, which saw the Springboks exit in the quarterfinals, and the scandal of Kamp StaaldraadKamp Staaldraad
Kamp Staaldraad was a military-style "boot camp" organized as a "team building" exercise for the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks , during their preparation for the 2003 Rugby World Cup...
, the training camp run by then-Boks coach Rudolph Straeuli
Rudolph Straeuli
Rudolph August Wilkens Straeuli played rugby union in the positions of flanker and Number 8 for, and later coached, the Springboks rugby team. He also played for the Lions provincial team in the Currie Cup competition...
. Straeuli would resign, as did Rian Oberholzer, the managing director of South Africa Rugby (Pty) Ltd, the commercial arm of SARFU. Soon afterwards, SARFU president Silas Nkununu, facing a strong reelection challenge, withdrew from consideration for election, and van Rooyen was elected president. He soon became a highly polarising figure in South African sport, with detractors accusing him of financial shenanigans, favouritism, and general mismanagement. His management style was also widely perceived as autocratic.
One of the major gripes against the van Rooyen administration was the allocation of Springboks Test matches. The KwaZulu-Natal union did not receive a Tri Nations Test in either 2005 or 2006; the Free State union received no Tests in either year. Both unions, vocal opponents of van Rooyen, accused him of punishing them for their opposition.
However, the biggest bone of contention surrounded the expansion of the Super 12 to the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
. SANZAR
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
, a consortium of the South African, Australian, and New Zealand governing bodies, expanded their Super 12 competition to 14 teams, a change that took effect in 2006. South Africa was entitled to add one franchise to the four from the Super 12 era. In a controversial move, the Southern Spears
Southern Spears
The Southern Spears, were a South African rugby union franchise who were originally founded in 2005 and were intended to participate in the Super 14 from 2007 onwards; however, their proposed entry into the competition led to considerable controversy within the country's rugby establishment...
franchise was assured a place in the 2007 and 2008 competitions, with an increasingly unpopular promotion/relegation system established to keep the total of South African Super 14 teams at its allotted five. Van Rooyen was widely viewed as being responsible for this arrangement, which was generally opposed by the existing Super 12/14 sides.
The South African government attempted to step in to address perceived problems within van Rooyen's administration, but he survived two years of attempts to oust him. Finally, at the 2006 SARU General Meeting, van Rooyen was voted out in favour of Oregan Hoskins, who immediately promised a more decentralised management style. Shortly after the election, it was alleged that van Rooyen had offered a bribe of ZAR
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
3 million (USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
485,000) plus a Springboks Test against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
to the Free State union in exchange for the union changing its vote in the presidential election in his favour. Hoskins soon announced that a planned investigation into van Rooyen's administration would go forward. As for the Spears issue, the SARU Presidents' Council issued a recommendation on 24 March that SA Rugby revisit the decision to admit the Spears. On 19 April, the decision to admit the Spears was officially overturned.
See also
- South African Rugby BoardSouth African Rugby BoardThe South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid....
- South Africa national rugby union teamSouth Africa national rugby union teamThe South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
- Currie CupCurrie CupThe Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
- Tri Nations Series
- Super 14Super 14Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...