Ken Borland

SIYA Kolisi might enjoy a big profile off the field, but Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee insisted on Wednesday that they have signed the Springbok captain on a three-year deal because of what a big asset the World Cup winning loose forward will be on the field.

The uncharitable have suggested Kolisi’s move from Western Province to Durban has more to do with building publicity for the massive equity stake invested in the Sharks by MVM Holdings, of which Roc Nation, Kolisi’s publicists, have a stake. But Coetzee said it was Kolisi the player they were interested in.

“It’s an unbelievable day for Sharks rugby, we started building something special here two years ago and today, announcing Siya is joining us, is an important step in the right direction. Negotiations did not take that long because when a player of his standing comes on the market you’ve got to move quickly. Siya ticks all the boxes – he is an amazing human being, the best captain in world rugby and an unbelievable player.

“We didn’t sign him here because of Roc Nation, although from a business strategy point of view it does make sense. They are his commercial agents, they’re not dealing with hm as a rugby player. Siya would still be sitting here today even if he was not with Roc Nation. We were waiting patiently for him to come on the market and when he did not accept the Western Province offer, it took just a matter of weeks for us to agree terms,” Coetzee said at Kings Park on Wednesday.

Kolisi, who is undeniably a hugely inspirational figure in South African society, said his focus in Durban will be very much on fighting his way back into top form, into the Sharks team and then ensuring that he keeps his place in the Springbok side.

“It feels like my first day in school, I’m starting fresh and I know I have to fight again, I have the same feeling as when I was a young man in Cape Town knowing I had to perform. I really hope to play my part on the field, and off the field as well. But there are amazing loose forwards here and what has happened before doesn’t matter. But I want to fight for my position and my main focus is rugby, to get fit and ready to play,” Kolisi said.

“My work off the field is very important to me. But it’s rugby that opens the doors so I know I have to do well on the field for that to happen. Last year was really tough for me with all the injuries and Covid affecting my family, and the stats show that, but I am the biggest critic of myself. Rassie Erasmus said I must just make sure the main thing stays the main thing and I’m going to make sure I work as hard as I can here.”

The 29-year-old Kolisi said he knows many of the current Sharks players and they and former Natal stars had been in contact with him, welcoming him into the camp.

“I know a lot of the guys, they seem excited to have me here and with the culture and the vibe they have going, I just knew it would be the best place. And I’ve had a lot of past players phone me like John Smit, The Beast [Tendai Mtawarira] and JP Pietersen, everyone has been very welcoming. Change is good for everyone.

“I don’t wake up in the morning thinking I want to be Springbok captain, I wake up thinking I want to be a Springbok and be in that team, it’s why I do what I do, why I love the game. So I have to make sure I’m performing; after injuries and the impact of Covid, as a player I am starting fresh again. I’ve got that feeling back that I want to impress my team-mates and get their respect,” Kolisi said.

Sharks star Sbu Nkosi is a top-class wing, a current Springbok and World Cup winner. He will be coming up against two young rising stars in Bulls wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Stravino Jacobs.

“They are both very good players or Jake White would not have selected them. We all have a lot to learn but I guess I’m a bit further down the road in my journey so there are probably a couple things more that I have picked up. But they are both very exciting players and they will bring energy. I will bring my best game as if I’m playing against the best in the world,” is what Nkosi said about Arendse and Jacobs.

So what will Nkosi be up against in the Currie Cup final on Saturday? Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers runs the rule over Jacobs and Arendse.

Stravino Jacobs

“I’m extremely proud of how he has really stepped up to another level, especially since he comes from my alma mater Paarl Gim. So I’ve watched him for a while, he was already a beast at school and Jake White is always good at giving those sort of talents opportunity. He’s a big, physical guy but he doesn’t lack pace either,” De Villiers told The Citizen on Wednesday.

Kurt-Lee Arendse

“He also comes from Paarl even though he did not take the traditional route to the top. But he has all the skills and I have been so impressed by his all-round performance. He’s smaller than Stravino but he doesn’t shy away from defence and he has a good eye for every opportunity. It’s very exciting to see the way he’s playing and the influence of Sevens on XVs, so credit to Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell and his work and guys like Cornal Hendricks and Stedman Gans who are also in the Bulls team.

“As a combination, both of the Bulls wings have speed and they’re a bit like a Julian Savea and Cheslin Kolbe combo – those are the two extremes when it comes to wings, but it’s complete package,” De Villiers said.

Nkosi, who is not lacking in power, will be marking Jacobs so that could be a titanic clash out near the tramlines on Saturday.

SA Rugby on Thursday submitted to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) that their remedies proposed in their draft findings into the broadcasting of sport by subscription television will lead to a severe reduction in the investment by these broadcasters in professional sport and will ultimately cost the Springboks the chance of adding to their 2019 World Cup victory.

Icasa have proposed that broadcast rights should not last longer than three years, that there should be no exclusive deals and that the rights should be split between multiple packages and broadcasters.

But in public hearings held virtually on Thursday, SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said the ‘remedies’ would be an unreasonable burden on the federation and would mean they are likely to lose their fight for survival in these times of Covid uncertainty, while Senior Counsel Ngwako Maenetje said Icasa would be acting “irrationally” and ultra vires (beyond their powers) if they enforced the changes.

“If the regulations go through in their current format then we may never see a day like the 2019 World Cup win again. SA Rugby needs to produce compelling content that is commercially viable so we can develop the game from grassroots level to winning national teams. We are 99.7% self-funded, we only get 0.3% of our income from government, and broadcast rights bring in R752 million,” Roux explained on Thursday.

According to the SA Rugby presentation, broadcast rights make up 58% of their income, and sponsorships, which are largely dependent on TV exposure, make up another 26%.

“We are in a daily fight for survival, we are in financial difficulty having made losses between 2016 and 2018. We recovered a little profit in 2019 on the back of the World Cup and we looked forward to capitalising on that but no-one could have predicted what happened in 2020. Covid has pushed us into survival mode and had a massive detrimental effect. We’ve had to cut our budget by R1.2 billion.

“It has made insolvency a real and present danger, we’re on the brink, and if we had not been able to capitalise on broadcast rights, we would have been bankrupt by now. Exclusivity is the main source of our revenue and with less money it means there will be less rugby until we have to close our doors and only have club rugby. And then nobody will be interested in the game,” Roux said.

Judging by the presentation of Maenetje SC, Icasa would probably face court action if they enforce the regulations.

“No Regulatory Impact Assessment was conducted by Icasa, which makes the proposals irrational, they did not inform themselves of the adverse effect of these remedies. These effects are not proportional because they place such a burden on the rights holder, rather than broadcasters, such that they will not be able to sustain themselves. Icasa have paid scant regard to the dire impact we explained in our written submissions.

“By weakening one side of the equation you do not grow competitiveness in the market, SA Rugby will no longer be in a position to provide premium content and there will be an adverse impact on public interest. These remedies are irrational, not lawful and unconstitutional. They do not encourage investment so they undermine the Icasa mandate and exceed the statutory powers of Icasa,” Maenetje said.

Icasa launched their inquiry into subscription television services to ensure the broadcast market is sufficiently competitive, but Roux says “these remedies will have the completely opposite effect to their noble intentions”.

“The obligation is on the broadcasters and not on the rights-holders, which is where Icasa are acting ultra vires. There was no discussion of the economic impact in their draft findings,” Maenetje says.

SA Rugby on Tuesday expressed their disappointment and frustration that millions of South Africans will not be able to watch the Springboks in action at the World Cup due to the SABC’s decision not to broadcast an event which lifted the spirits of the country in inspirational fashion in both 1995 and 2007.
Those were the two years the Springboks lifted the most prestigious trophy in rugby, with the 1995 triumph, on home soil and featuring the enthusiastic participation of then president Nelson Mandela, being cited as a major boost to race relations in the fledgling democracy. The current Springbok team is captained for the first time by a Black African in the hugely popular Siya Kolisi and they are rated as one of the strongest contenders when the tournament kicks off on Friday.
South Africa, who are coached by former captain Rassie Erasmus, open their campaign by playing defending champions New Zealand on Saturday in what will be one of the most important games of the tournament.
“We are looking forward to a strong Springbok challenge led by Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi, and it is extremely frustrating for our sport that the national broadcaster is not in a position to show it. We share the disappointment of SABC licence-holders that they will be unable to follow the progress of the Springboks and other big matches in the tournament.
“The Rugby World Cup has been broadcast on SABC at every tournament since 1995 and like other mega sporting events has the power to bring the nation together behind a national team,” an SA Rugby spokesperson told The Citizen on Monday.
Although the television rights to the World Cup are owned by WorldRugby, SuperSport, who have bought the local rights, were willing to help the SABC show at least some of the tournament, but after months of negotiations the national broadcaster pulled out, according to MultiChoice, the owners of the sports pay channel.
“As far as television rights are concerned, the SABC, having initially made a commercial offer, subsequently withdrew that offer citing budget constraints and the scheduling of the RWC, being in Japan. Rugby World Cup broadcast rights are sold by World Rugby and its agents and all broadcasters (including free-to-air operators) are able to bid for acquiring these rights,” Joe Heshu, the MultiChoice Group Executive for Corporate Affairs, told The Citizen.
The radio rights are owned by marketing company IMG and not MultiChoice.
The Rugby World Cup would have cost the SABC $28m for broadcasting rights on television and $60 000 for radio, not factoring in production costs of R900 000, SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe told Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications on Tuesday.

Social media reaction

Teddy Rubskins @walternatebeing
SABC was looted dry by ANC cadres, this is the real issue. In the 90s SABC showed F1, NBA, currie cup & springboks rugby as well as cricket. Also the ANC government will never break the monopoly Naspers holds as they love the tax revenue from their group companies.
The 2019 rugby world cup would have cost the SABC $28m for broadcasting rights on television and $60 000 for broadcasting rights on radio, he said. These costs do not factor production costs of R900 000.

Jy Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika  Put SA 1st
@Joy_wa_Afrika
However, a nation that is being deprived of watching the 6 @Springboks games because of money grabbing @SuperSportTV We can only afford SABC but does the greedy @SuperSportTV care Absolutely not

Cornu Perold @CornuPerold
Will Sports Minister @NathiMthethwaSA and his Communications counterpart @Stellarated help find a resolution here too as they did in the saga that saw the SABC not broadcasting any PSL matches on their platforms? Surely Rugby is a sport for ALL South Africans?

OH LOOK…Squirrel
@Travesty_Kruger
I think it quite sad that SABC hasn’t made a plan for them to air the RWC. We always seem to be united when the Bokke are playing and sadly not all of us (myself included) have DSTV.

zwelitsha @zwelitshazwe

Thulas sport is an audience driver in broadcasting, note all the satellite dishes on rooftops from informal settlements (end result of PSL rights), SABC Board, Govt must wake up Fact, Ad revenue will NEVER = Sports rights, bt loss of sports rights = audience flight

uSumpa @Konkwane_K
I feel for those people who are let down again by the SABC. The most vulnerable people who love rugby they won’t watch the Rugby World Cup because SABC is useless beyond doubt.

Riccardo Dobloni @superdoct
Money hungry, no national interest at all. SuperSport fine keep you rights, keep your advertising money, but surely you can see the benefits of letting everyone watch the national team in a world cup! go back to Open Time or sponsor SABC to show at least the #Springbok games

Cameron MacKenzie MP @CameronMacKenz2
When @MultiChoice ask for US$28million & @sabc trying to get on an even financial footing, it’s competing priorities. Why not pressure @MultiChoice instead to help out in the interests of those who can’t afford DSTV? The new SABC board are doing the right – tough – thing.

LLOYD L. MAFA @MafaLloyd
Really no broadcast of Rugby World Cup then why are we still paying the TV licence. SABC please get your act together.

Pale Rider @Pale_Rider7
Multi Choice should come to the party and as a gesture of good faith at least allow SABC rights to broadcast the Springbok games. With their messed up image lately it can only do them good.

SABC Too  @SABCtoo

Obviously, young children in South Africa don’t deserve to see a multiracial world-class national team captained by a man who came from nothing but hunger in one of the worlds largest competitions. #RWC2019

azania mboya @azaniamboya

SABC are a national disgrace by refusing to broadcast the Rugby World Cup thus leaving millions of African rugby fans without coverage. A huge blow against African transformation in Rugby. No wonder so many ppl dont want 2 pay T V Licences !!!!