SA Rugby boss admits World Cup hosting dream is over for Springboks

By Dylan Bettencourt

• SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said on Monday that World Rugby always goes where the most money can be made.

• The next two World Cups go to Australia in 2027 and the USA in 2031, with 2035 bidding already open.

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer says South Africa will almost certainly never host a Rugby World Cup again. He made the comments at a Springbok media day on Monday.

Oberholzer said World Rugby goes where it can make the most money, and South Africa cannot match what Europe or the Middle East can generate.

“It is a challenge for us to host the Rugby World Cup again,” he said. “The World Cup is the only revenue stream for World Rugby. It must fund the game’s entire ecosystem. They must go where there will be support from the local and national government.”

South Africa hosted the famous 1995 edition. The country was also set to host in 2023, but France got those rights instead. That missed chance may now be the last.

New Zealand faces the same reality. The All Blacks co-hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1987 alongside Australia, then hosted alone in 2011. But they are also unlikely to host again.

Oberholzer said global growth must come first, even if that means the Springboks and All Blacks, the two most successful teams in history, miss out.

“I think we have moved away from the philosophy that everybody must get an equal chance to host a World Cup,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a negative on us. It is more about what is more important for the best interest of world rugby.”

He also addressed World Rugby’s annual grant.

“You can’t ask for a World Cup in your country, make less money, and then want the biggest slice of the cake when it comes to the annual grant,” he said.

Pictured above: The Springboks.

Image source: File