By William Taylor
A large scale overhaul of South African rugby has been unveiled in a bid to take the sport to a new level in the country. The changes will take place on September 1, and will be fully operational by the time the Springboks travel to New Zealand for the World Cup.
One of the most dramatic changes according to those placing free bets will see the number of departments at the South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) Cape Town offices reduced from 16 to just seven.
It will mean a more ‘efficient and streamlined’ SARU, as well as higher performance teams and increased participation.
The Union’s CEO, Jurie Roux says it is an important step to take if South African rugby is going to continue it’s rapid development.
Mr Roux said: “We believe we are one of South Africa’s leading sporting federations – both on and off the field – but we’ve taken the hand brake off now.
“We’re poised to take rugby to the next level.
“SARU has been able to deliver a robust financial performance, healthy competitions and, most importantly, winning Springbok and Springbok Sevens teams, but there have been challenges – most of them behind the scenes.
“It’s fair to say that the organisation laboured because of a confusing network of overlapping responsibilities and blurred reporting lines due to the separation between a professional and amateur arm.
“Those obstacles have now been eradicated and we now have a much leaner, cleaner and simpler structure.â€
Whist benefiting the national team, many of the changes are likely to see a vast improvement at grass routes level.
Roux believes that by getting more and more people participating in the sport at a lower level, the national team will be stronger in the long-term.
He added: “These are exciting times for South African rugby.
“It has been a challenging process for our staff and one that has not always been easy, but we come out of it a far more focused organisation one determined to ensure that our iconic teams remain an inspiration to all South Africans.â€
Fans of Rugby in the country will now be interested to see whether the changes will coincide with South Africa retaining the World Cup they won in 2007, this year. Where will you place your free bet?