The Rugby Thread - Part Deux

www.keo.co.za

All Blacks unlock the Springboks R84m American payday

The two nations have won seven World Cups between them, have the best winning percentages in Test rugby and have now delivered the richest Test match in USA history.
www.keo.co.za

America works for the Springboks. But only the All Blacks make it work to the tune of R84 million for a one-off Test.

SA Rugby banked an estimated NZ$9 million from taking the fourth and final Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry to Baltimore.

At the current exchange rate of approximately R9.38 to one New Zealand dollar, that is a payday of around R84.4 million.

Springboks & All Blacks​

New Zealand Rugby reportedly earned the same amount, with Gregor Paul writing in the New Zealand Herald that the NZ$9 million return is believed to be the biggest single-match payday in the union’s history.

This was not just a financial triumph for New Zealand Rugby. It was every bit as significant for SA Rugby.

The Springboks beat the All Blacks 43-28 at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium to complete a 3-1 series win, but the commercial result was as emphatic as the one on the scoreboard.

The official attendance was 68,173 a record for a standalone rugby match in North America. An estimated 90 percent of the crowd supported South Africa.

Ticket purchases were registered from all 50 American states and seven Canadian provinces.

That is the power of the Springboks in 2026. It is also the power of the All Blacks as their opponent.

The United States is regularly described as rugby’s great untapped market. Every union wants a piece of it and every promoter sells the possibilities of taking a Test match there.

Baltimore offered something more concrete: nearly 70,000 people in an NFL stadium and an estimated R84 million for each of the two participating unions.

But the lesson is not simply that the Springboks can play in America.

The lesson is that the Springboks against the All Blacks can fill a stadium and make serious money in America.

The Boks have a huge and passionate support base in the United States. South Africans living across America arrived in green and gold, but so did supporters travelling from South Africa, Canada, Europe, Australia and elsewhere.

The All Blacks supplied rugby’s most globally recognisable opposition.

Together, they supplied an event.

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has 105 years of history behind it. It has World Cup finals, controversies, contrasting styles and a genuine sporting hostility that does not have to be manufactured by a promoter.

Baltimore was the first meeting between the teams in the United States. It should not be the last.

SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer had been direct before the Test about the commercial motivation. SA Rugby needed to strengthen its finances and take the Springbok brand beyond South Africa.

Mission accomplished.

The money matters. Professional rugby cannot survive on tradition and sentiment. The leading unions need new revenue, and Test rugby needs occasions capable of competing in a crowded international sports market.

The Springboks and All Blacks produced exactly that.

The Americans did not get an exhibition. They got a series decider between the two strongest brands in Test rugby, played in front of a record crowd and won by the back-to-back world champions.

There will now be calls for the Springboks to play more Tests in the United States, especially with the country hosting the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

SA Rugby should be selective.

The value is not in taking any Springbok Test to America. It is in taking the right Test there.

Baltimore worked because it was the Springboks against the All Blacks.

That is the fixture America will buy. That is the rivalry that can make the United States work for South African rugby.
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Cray:
lexity said:
If you don't see it in the press, it's obviously incorrect/inaccurate....
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That's not an argument, come on, out with it. It doesn't have to be in the press, just point me to the evidence that the Boks, the All Blacks, any of the coaches or players said/thought that this was an exhibition match. Take your time, i'll wait.
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Cray either doesn't recall saying this yesterday... or doesn't believe that players are free to speak their minds, any more.

This morning we have bags of evidence of intimidation (see the Swimming SA links).

And we can even return to sandman's video posted loooong before the match.... in which pundits and ex-players apparently unanimously express their concern over the 4th test inclusion in the series..... couching their concerns with great trepedation.

Some would say "walking on egg-shells".

Are the coaches and players really free to speak their minds?
 
lexity said:
Are you denying you said it?

Simple question.
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The fact that you won't do something as simple as quoting my post makes me think that that you have once again been caught telling porkies and now want to deflect. Quote the post if you want my answer.
 
lexity said:
:rolleyes:
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Sneeky Ninja edit there and you still screwed it up because you can't click on that to link back to my original post. Okay, this is your paraphrasing what I said.

lexity said:
Cray, yesterday: "[SAn players/coaches are obviously free to speak out, otherwise you, lexity, would be able to prove their interpretation of the 4th test was 'exhibitionist']".

Cray this morning, after critique of SAn sports body intimidation/thuggery:
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Cray said:
That's not an argument, come on, out with it. It doesn't have to be in the press, just point me to the evidence that the Boks, the All Blacks, any of the coaches or players said/thought that this was an exhibition match. Take your time, i'll wait.
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Still waiting for the evidence Lex, any evidence, at all, that the players on either side regarded this as an exhibition match.
 
lexity said:
What edit?

I didn't edit the post at all.

And I quoted you word for word. Do you not remember saying those exact words?
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Your original paraphrase of my post is nothing like what I said, Lexity. I even put the two posts side by side so you can see the difference.
 
Cray said:
Still waiting for the evidence Lex, any evidence, at all, that the players on either side regarded this as an exhibition match.
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Right, so you do now suddenly recall saying....

"...point me to the evidence that the Boks, the All Blacks, any of the coaches or players said/thought that this was an exhibition match."

You demanding evidence, yesterday, presumes they are free to speak out.

Today you are liking critique of SA officialdom's intimidation tactics.

Contradiction!

You accused me of misrepresenting you when I paraphrased your position, here(and are now doubling down):
Cray, yesterday: "[SAn players/coaches are obviously free to speak out, otherwise you, lexity, would be able to prove their interpretation of the 4th test was 'exhibitionist']".
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Can you honestly not see the obvious contradiction here? Demanding spoken evidence while simultaneously acknowledging intimidation.

👀🫢
 
lexity said:
Right, so you do now suddenly recall saying....

"...point me to the evidence that the Boks, the All Blacks, any of the coaches or players said/thought that this was an exhibition match."

You demanding evidence, yesterday, presumes they are free to speak out.

Today you are liking critique of SA officialdom's intimidation tactics.

Contradiction!

You accused me of misrepresenting you when I paraphrased your position, here(and are now doubling down):


Can you honestly not see the obvious contradiction here? Demanding spoken evidence while simultaneously acknowledging intimidation.

👀🫢
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Which part of Airborne's post talks about intimidation? It's about corruption and with holding of funds. Where was it ever said that she was intimidated by Swimming SA?

What is this bs, imagine how frustrating it must be, being a professional athlete is difficult as it is and then you get leeches trying to stiff you on your prize money.
"Mafata Modutoane, SSA’s operations manager, allegedly kept the interest as a “management fee” after prize money was “unlawfully held by SSA for more than a year”, the lawyer’s letter alleges. "
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Siya probably the best captain in World Rugby right now, maybe ever...
 
Looks like some snowflake couldn't stand the heat in the kitchen, and had no option but to call in a hall-monitor to delete some of my posts.

I told you guys.... this is what they are like.

They cannot tolerate a bit of light shining on them.
 
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