SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION ANNUAL REPORT 2017 REPORT UNION ANNUAL SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY SA RUGBY ANNUAL2017 REPORT CONTENTS SARU President’s CEO’s Sponsors 02 Message 04 Report 08 Integrated Audit & Risk Operations Report 12 Committee 34 & Finance 38 Strategic Financial Rugby Performance Statements 40 Department 86 Management 98 Human Commercial 104 Communications 112 Resources 116 All pictures courtesy of Gallo Images (www.galloimages.co.za) | Design: Ryan Manning ANNUAL REPORT 2017 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | 01 2017 SA RUGBY ANNUAL REPORT Malcolm Marx was named SA Rugby’s Player of the Year SA RUGBY SPONSORS IN 2017 for 2017. SPRINGBOK SPONSORS SPRINGBOK SEVENS SPONSORS SA RUGBY REFEREES SPONSORS ASSOCIATE SPONSORS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS TOURNAMENT SPONSORS 02 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | ANNUAL REPORT 2017 PRESIDENT’S REPORT Resilience is a characteristic shared by South Africans of all races and in 2017 the organisation was required to display those attributes in face of a series of disappointments. Our sport suffered a singular disappointment during the year but there were also moments of great achievement to lighten the mood. We believe our ‘triple-win’ bid – for players, the hard work and esprit de corps among the with the Executive Council deciding at the ABOVE: SA Rugby public and World Rugby – was clearly the best players. Rosko Specman was shortlisted for start of the year that only players with 30 or president, Mr Mark Alexander, congratulates option for the game. More importantly, we be- World Sevens Player of the Year but lost out to more caps would be eligible for national selec- Malcolm Marx, who lieve it would have given an enormous boost to the USA’s Perry Baker. tion. That policy remains a subject of on-going was named the SA HE disappointment ar- rugby in South Africa as well as to the country. That global title earned the Blitzboks na- internal and external debate. Rugby Player of the rived in November and the Our government shared that belief and I tional honours as well as they were named the On a less contentious note, South Africa field- Year for 2017. outcome of the bidding would like to record our very deep appreciation South African Sports Team of the Year in the ed a representative women’s team at 15-a-side process to host the 2023 and gratitude for the support we received from SA Sport Awards, organised by the Depart- level for the first time since 2014. A 28-member Rugby World Cup. SA the serving sports minister, Mr Thulas Nxesi, and ment of Sports and Recreation to honour, SA Select Women’s squad toured England in Oc- TRugby was identified as the preferred host from cabinet and the president, who deployed recognize and reward individuals and national nation after an exhaustive, comprehensive and the deputy president, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, lead teams that excel on the world stage. expensive bidding and assessment process. our bid team on two visits to London. The loss Springbok results improved in 2017 and the The selection of overseas-based Our bid was identified as offering the world was extremely painful for all concerned. year begin promisingly with a 3-0 series win game the best available Rugby World Cup, in By contrast the singular highlight of the over the visiting French. A number of inter- players for the squad continued comparison to the offerings of our competi- year was the success of the Springbok Sevens ventions to support the coaching team had to be a subject of debate with the tors, Ireland and France. However, the World team. They became the first national team been made but ultimately the results over the Rugby Council was left to make the final to win a global title in five years – since the course of the year were underwhelming. Executive Council deciding at the start decision and, in their wisdom, preferred what Under-20 team won the Junior World Champi- An eventual winning ratio of 54% – as France had to offer. onship in 2012. well as two draws against Australia – was an of the year that only players with We invested in the bid in the belief that The squad played in eight of the ten finals improvement on the 33% of 2016, but still not 30 or more caps would be eligible the newly designed process – with a rigor- on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series good enough. That impression was com- ous interrogation followed by the publication circuit – winning five of them – and won the pounded by the Springboks’ heaviest defeat for national selection. That policy of the report – would remove the lobbying title by the considerable margin of 28 points. in history (57-0 by New Zealand) and a record remains a subject of on-going internal element of the selection. We were mistaken in It was the team’s first title since 2008/09 and defeat by Ireland (38-3). that belief. We have advised World Rugby of was a reward for the preparation and coaching The selection of overseas-based players for and external debate. our concerns about the process. of Neil Powell and his management and for the squad continued to be a subject of debate 04 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | 05 ABOVE: Justin Geduld, tober – the first national tour since the Women’s ing the team’s jersey to red for the Castle Rosko Specman and Rugby World Cup three years before. Lager Rugby Championship match against Branco du Preez at a Springbok Sevens sign- Women’s sport is a national focus in South Argentina in Salta. The completed a “jigsaw ing session. Africa and an imperative for World Rugby. Our puzzle” of playing and training apparel that international governing body is significantly was prepared for use in 2017. The colours of ABOVE RIGHT: Eben increasing the representation of women within the flag – green, yellow, blue and red, as well Etzebeth and Ten- its councils – by statute – while members are as black and white – all featured in training or dai Mtawarira on the charge for the Spring- being encouraged to develop their own national playing apparel during the year. boks against Argentina 15-a-side women’s programmes with the reward If that was a celebration there was also sad- in Salta, where the Boks of additional votes at Council level. It therefore ness too. Four national captains passed away played in red for the first remains an important subject area for SA Rugby. during the year in African Springbok captains time ever. Also of importance in 2017 was the 25th an- Mpenduli “Liston” Ntshongwana and Welile OPPOSITE PAGE: niversary of rugby unity. In 1992 the disparate James “Bomza” Nkohla, former SARU captain Former SARU captain bodies that made up the divided landscape Salie Fredericks, and Joost van der Westhui- Salie Fredericks was of South African rugby came together to zen, captain of the team at the 1999 Rugby one of four national form the South African Rugby Football Union World Cup. We also mourned the passing of captains who passed (SARFU), whose name was changed to SARU Dr Cecil Moss, a former Springbok player and away during 2017. in 2003. coach, the oldest living Springbok at the time It was a watershed moment for rugby in of his death, among too many others. South Africa, foreshadowing the arrival of de- On a more upbeat note, congratulations are mocracy two years’ later and the many other in order to the Emirates Lions for hosting the watershed moments over which we could Vodacom Super Rugby final – even if their 14- cross in our civic life. We marked the moment man effort was not quite enough to overcome in the most dramatic way possible by chang- the Crusaders; to Currie Cup and SuperSport Rugby Challenge champions, DHL Western Province; the Down Touch Griffons (and their Four national captains passed away U20 team) for successfully defending the First Division (and age group) titles; to Under-21 during the year in African Springbok and Under-19 champions, DHL WP and the Xerox Golden Lions respectively; to the West- captains Mpenduli “Liston” ern Province women for ending Border’s four- Ntshongwana and Welile James year dominance to take the Section A title in the Women’s Interprovincial competition, and “Bomza” Nkohla, former SARU to Section B champions, SWD. captain Salie Fredericks, and Mark Alexander Joost van der Westhuizen. President South African Rugby Union 06 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 | SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION | 07 CEO’S REPORT The landscape of rugby in South Africa underwent a seismic shift in 2017. Twenty-one years after the creation of intercontinental competitions with the establishment of SANZAAR, a second, bolder move was made by the introduction of inter-hemispherical rugby. The Toyota Cheetahs and Southern Kings kicked off a new adventure for South African rugby by becoming members of a new-look The invitation from the existing Guinness PRO14 competition, playing in a northern hemisphere Guinness PRO12 opened the door competition with teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. for South African rugby to fulfil a ABOVE: SA Rugby CEO long held desire to “go north”. Jurie Roux (far right), with Martin Anayi (CEO, left) and Gerald Davies (Chairman, middle) of the Guinness PRO14 at yond the geographically challenging southern tions. Those conversations remain on-going. nomic and sporting environment under, which the Cape Town launch hemisphere construct. We have always been The impetus and opportunity to go north highlighted a need to adjust and strengthen of this exciting new attracted to Europe by the alignment of time had been provided by the hard but necessary Vodacom Super Rugby in the short-term to venture into the Northern HEIR entry broke new zones and therefore broadcast markets; we are decision to re-examine the structure of Voda- ensure a robust and sustainable tournament.