South Africa Magazine’s Ian Armitage talks with Jurie Roux, chief executive officer of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), about new sponsors, revamped competitions, the World Cup and the benefits of a new operational structure.


By Ian Armitage

The 2011 season is underway and it promises to be one of the most enthralling in the professional era.

It is the inaugural season of a new-look Vodacom Super Rugby competition, new sponsorships have recently been announced and a newly restructured operational organisation is being rolled out.

This is also a season in which the Springboks’ bid to retain the Rugby World Cup.

One way or the other this will be a defining year for South African rugby.

“This is a very exciting season for South African rugby as well as for SARU as an organisation,” says Jurie Roux, chief executive officer of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), who recently spoke with South Africa Magazine. “Certainly in South African rugby we stand on the threshold of a new era. Obviously, a new Vodacom Super Rugby format and a Rugby World Cup make this a very significant year from a player perspective, but we are also at a departure point from an operational point of view. This year we will re-engineer our operations following the merging of the amateur and commercial arms of the organisation and create a new structure more accurately focused on delivering on a revisited strategic plan.

“By this time next year I expect SARU to be an entirely different organisation; working to that point is going to be stimulating, challenging but ultimately exciting.”

The new Vodacom Super Rugby format features more matches with more opportunities for emerging talent with an increase in matches 94 to 125 in an expanded season that concludes on July 9.

There will be 20 local derbies in each nation.

“Supporters wanted more derby matches and we’ll be giving them that,” says Roux.

There is a lot going on this year and keeping an eye on financial performance is one of many challenges. “Obviously we’re a business so things like bottom line are of great importance and I’ll be paying close attention to our financial operations,” Roux says. “But there is a lot going on the pitch. Will we win the Tri-Nations and the Rugby World Cup, for instance, and how will be perform in the Junior Wold Championship? And then there are the operational matters, and by year end we would expect to have a clearly defined vision and mission statement and an operational structure that speaks to SARU’s strategic goals.”

Roux is excited about the upcoming World Cup and is confident of the Springboks’ chances. “We have an outstanding crop of players and a management that has worked with them for the past three years and understands exactly what is needed for success.

“I am confident that we will put out an outstanding team that has the personnel and talent to win the Rugby World Cup. But you can never be confident of success – there are other good teams competing and small moments can turn the course of the very biggest games.”

SARU has a “headline plan in place” to ensure World Cup success, he says, but, of course, there are a lot a Vodacom Super Rugby competition matches to play before the players become fully available to the national coaching staff for the Tri-Nations in July. Some have been critical of the number of games key players might play. But Roux is happy. “We are happy with our planning and what we have in place. The expectation is that teams will have to look at rotating their players more than previously to manage the requirements of a tournament that will be three or four games longer for some teams. And to do that the likelihood is that more players will be given a taste of Vodacom Super Rugby.

“Of course, we have a chance to become the first nation to retain the trophy and to win it for a third time – so we have a lot at stake – and we are gearing towards it.”

Away from the top end of the sport, SARU is doing a lot of work at grassroots level to ensure the game’s success for future generations. The dissolving of the old commercial arm (SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd) into SARU will be significant in all this, says Roux. “Developing and fostering the game at a grassroots level had been separated out from promotion and commercial development of the game at an elite level and obviously the synergies between the two had been lost. What the change allows is the reintegration of all elements into more streamlined and focused units in which both of the former arms can benefit. We’re now in a position where the boundaries have gone and we’re much better placed to develop the game and exploit the opportunities that arise, whether they be in grassroots development programmes or in maximising returns from commercial opportunities.

“The organisation had been divided into a professional arm, SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd, to look after commercial brands - wholly owned by SARU - which looked after amateur rugby and the development side of the game. The organisation had two governance structures and two operational heads as well as separate operations staff, although some services were shared between the two. Removing that duplication and aligning the organisation’s goals has been a significant change,” Roux explains.

Earlier this year, SARU announced a five-year agreement with Absa to sponsor the Springboks. Roux is delighted. “They’re old friends of rugby having sponsored our sport through their different incarnations for more than a quarter of a century,” he says. “What was nice was that the headline deal was done within a month of going to market, which underlined the appeal of the Springbok brand and Absa’s enthusiasm for the engagement.

“We have an almost shared DNA in that we’re both major South African institutions with a footprint in every corner of South Africa and, after their long association; they understand the sport and what we can do for each other. They bring credibility, value, blue chip credentials and an enthusiasm for the team and the sport that has been proven over many years.”

Roux assumed the role of SARU CEO last October. He says it has been a “stimulating” challenge, which was “exactly what he wanted.” He is heralding in a new era and is leading the restructuring of the organisation.

The Rugby World Cup means there no tours this season and the shortened Tri-Nations tournament starts in July, with the Springboks meeting Australia in Sydney before facing New Zealand in Wellington, where the team will also play the opening two matches of the Rugby World Cup.

The World Cup kicks off on September 9, with the Springboks playing the first of their four Pool D matches against Wales. They also face Fiji, Namibia and Samoa.

The South African season concludes on October 29 – one week after the Rugby World Cup final – with the final of the Absa Currie Cup.


Photo: Getty


Article from Issue 12, South Africa Magazine