Is 1995 the only home World Cup the Springboks will ever see? SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer admits that as World Rugby chases lucrative markets in the north and the Middle East, South Africa is struggling to compete commercially. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
For South Africans of a certain age, the 1995 World Cup hosted by the Rainbow Nation remains a vivid memory, but it could be the only experience the Springboks will ever have of playing for the Webb Ellis Cup in front of their home fans.
That is because World Rugby will only steer the hosting rights towards a region that guarantees them lucrative revenue. The amateur days when the hosting of the World Cup was shared around are long gone, says SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.
The fact that the Boks have won the tournament four times in eight attempts has nothing to do with it. Australia will host the 2027 tournament, the roadshow moves to the USA in 2031, and the 2035 event has bidders from Spain, Italy, Japan, and the Middle East (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). Late next year, the winner will be announced.
“It’s correct to say that it is a challenge for us going forward,” Oberholzer said. “We must remember that the World Cup is the only revenue stream for World Rugby.
"It must fund the whole rugby ecosystem, and all the members get some funding from the World Cup. So, World Rugby must take the World Cup to where they can make the most money, and to go where they will get the most support from local government.”
Oberholzer added that nations like New Zealand and South Africa cannot compete commercially with other hubs.
“If you compare us to Europe, for example, I cannot see that the money will ever be the same generated out of South Africa as what it will generate out of Europe, or in the future, maybe somewhere in the Middle East.
“It’s a World Rugby decision, not an SA Rugby decision. World Rugby will drive World Cups to where they believe they can make the most money.
"We all have to understand that, and you can’t complain and ask for a World Cup in your country, make less money, and then want a bigger slice of the cake when it comes to the annual grant that you get from World Rugby. It is about income generation to feed the whole rugby system.”
Oberholzer added that World Rugby has moved on from sentimentally rotating the hosting of the event.
“I think we have moved away from the philosophy that everybody must get an equal chance to host a World Cup.
"New Zealand and South Africa will not make the money out of a World Cup that World Rugby needs. I don’t think it is a negative on us; it is more about what is important for the best interests of World Rugby.”
* Mike Greenaway is a senior rugby reporter at Independent Media and contributor on our Last World on Rugby podcast on our YouTube channel, The Clutch