SA Rugby's group revenues grew 29 per cent from R1.5bn in 2024 to R2bn in 2025, with R500m — a quarter of total income — spent directly on national teams, according to the Annual Financial Statements presented to member unions at Thursday's AGM in Cape Town.
Of that figure, R281m went to the Springboks directly, with a further R221m channelled through the High-Performance Department covering all other national teams, the Stellenbosch high-performance centre and an expanded playing programme. A separate R195m was allocated to secure image rights and injury insurance for national team players and referees, while R400m was distributed to the 15 member unions.
CEO Rian Oberholzer pointed to tangible returns on that investment: the Blitzboks claimed the HSBC SVNS World Championship in 2025 and have carried that form into 2026; the Junior Springboks won the U20 World Championship for the first time in 13 years and on Saturday claimed their first SANZAAR U20 Rugby Championship title; and the Springbok Women reached the Rugby World Cup play-off stages for the first time while breaking into the world top ten.
On the commercial side, sponsorship revenue surged 51 per cent from R488m to R739m following a commercial reset, exceeding broadcast revenues of R678m for the first time. SA Rugby's move to take direct ownership of test match hosting yielded R402m in event revenues against a delivery cost of R213m. Royalty income reached R78m, driven by merchandise sales through two new Springbok stores.
Despite the revenue growth, the group posted a pre-taxation loss of R40m. The accounts nonetheless received an unqualified audit, with auditors satisfied that SA Rugby can continue as a going concern on the basis of a management solvency assessment and action plan.
SARU president Mark Alexander said a return to sustainable profitability was within reach, citing investment in new competitions including Rugby's Greatest Rivalry and the Nations Championship, a commercial reset and new technology as levers that would bear fruit in the current year.
Oberholzer highlighted SA Rugby's conversion to shareholder status in the Vodacom URC and a digital transformation strategy as further pillars of the organisation's financial repositioning.