URC Chief reveals surprising South African statistic!
Yesterday at 05:12 AM
South Africa's contingent – Lions, Sharks, Stormers, Bulls – make up four of the URC's sixteen teams.
The league formerly known as Pro 14 includes clubs from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales is fast-becoming one of rugby's most entertaining competitions.
URC's chief Martin Anayi has boasted the financial rewards of including "South African teams."
"[They have] been tremendously successful in terms of performance and attendance, as well as financially and commercially," he continued.
"Pretty much anybody you speak to in the league will say they have raised the standard of the competition on and off the field and they will continue to do that."
"It's a game changer. It's millions, more than half our revenue comes from South Africa via television and sponsorship.
"They are also providing more value to EPCR, via Investec's sponsorship of the Champions Cup. It is a huge part of the rugby economy for Europe."
Travel concerns
From a carbon-footprint perspective, South Africa's inclusion has caused concern among environmentalists, but Anayi unfazed, focusing more on how player's travel, saying, "The class of travel for our teams is something we need to address – moving to business class travel for the South African trips. Big guys need space.
"In terms of travel logistics, the regular season matches are not a problem. We know about those trips and book a long way out. It's more when it comes to knock-out rugby. That can be hard.
"So, we can change our format in terms of having gaps in the play-offs. We can concertina the regular season and maybe start it a little bit earlier to give ourselves an extra week around semi-final and final."
Who is your favourite URC player?
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