Test match bonanza for Gqeberha

As a rugby hosting venue, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was in danger of slipping from national consciousness, but its return to the Test roster this year comes as a timely intervention.

SA Rugby last week restored Gqeberha to the Test roster by allocating the Springboks’ second Test against Italy on July 12 to the Eastern Cape stadium.

The last time Gqeberha hosted a Test match was in August 2021 when the Springboks beat Argentina 29-10. That match, and the one a week earlier, was played behind closed doors as a result of the Covid pandemic, and the region, a hotbed of vast rugby talent, was deprived of the significant economic benefit that comes with hosting a Test.

If previous figures are anything to go by, Gqeberha can expect a direct and indirect economic boost close to R200m by hosting the Boks this year.

For the 2017 Test against Argentina, the direct, indirect and induced economic effect was estimated at R196m. For the 2014 Test against Scotland, the economic injection was believed to be in the region of R155m.

Change in model

Gqeberha, though, partly owe their return to the roster as a result of a reshaping of the Test model, which sees SA Rugby again taking control of organising Test matches. Under the previous model, SA Rugby may have been reluctant to leave the organisation of a Test match to the deeply fractious Eastern Province Rugby Football Union.

For instance, Gqeberha was in line to host last year’s Test between the Springboks and Portugal, but administrative infighting made them a high risk for such an undertaking. “We have to find places where there is growth for the sport, but also where we can make a return on investment. Gqeberha is that,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.

“We expect to make a decent profit from that Test. It is good that they are back on the roster.”

The Boks will play in five provinces this year, and Mbombela Stadium— which is comparable in size and age with the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium — got the nod for a third Test in four years.

However, this year’s Test isn’t exactly box office material. The Boks host Georgia for their third-ever clash.

Test match weekend

Apart from rating Georgia as a Test match nation, Mpumalanga Rugby Union CEO Marius van Rensburg believes the region provides fans with enough reason to make the trip to the Lowveld.

Plans are afoot for a Georgia Festival that weekend, perhaps similar to the one that formed part of Test match weekend in Bloemfontein when the Boks played Portugal last year.

Test match weekend in Mbombela has proved a popular attraction for rugby followers in Gauteng.

An independent audit found that Mbombela received an economic boost of R140m by hosting the Test against the All Blacks in 2023, while the Test against Argentina last year, another sell-out, saw them benefit to the tune of R129m. “That is definitely a significant injection to our economy,” said Van Rensburg.

“We want to stay relevant in this town and we want to bring something. The Test is definitely our biggest contribution to the city.”

Good spread

Test matches are spread generously this year with Bloemfontein the only major centre to miss out.

Of course, SA Rugby’s preferred Test match hosting model has been the cause of much friction with some of their metropolitan-based affiliates. In fact, it was one of the reasons SA Rugby failed to convince their provincial affiliates to rubber stamp an equity partnership with the Ackerley Sports Group.

SA Rugby has reasserted control over the Test match hosting process. In the past, provinces took control of the Test matches but, for that, they had to pay a fee.

Now the responsibility is back with SA Rugby. “It’s a hybrid model but the major difference is all the provinces share in the profits of Test matches, not just the one hosting the event. There are categories in how monies are dispersed. We pay a hire and rights fee for the Test but at the end of the day the profits are split more equitably,” said Oberholzer.