SA Rugby's group revenues grew 29 per cent from R1.5bn in 2024 to R2bn in 2025, with R500m spent directly on national teams — R281m on the Springboks and R221m through the High-Performance Department covering all other national sides. The figures were presented to member unions at Thursday's AGM in Cape Town.
Sponsorship revenues led the commercial growth, surging 51 per cent from R488m to R739m following a commercial reset, exceeding broadcast revenues of R678m for the first time. The shift to SA Rugby taking direct ownership and delivery of Springbok test matches generated R402m in match-day revenues against a delivery cost of R213m. Licensing and merchandise sales reached R78m, boosted by the opening of two Springbok stores.
A further R195m was allocated to secure national team players' image rights for commercial purposes and to cover injury insurance, while R400m was distributed directly to the 15 member unions.
Despite the revenue surge, SA Rugby reported a pre-taxation group loss of R40m, with CEO Rian Oberholzer and president Mark Alexander both acknowledging that long-term solvency and the establishment of a reserve fund remain ongoing priorities. The accounts received an unqualified audit on the basis of a management solvency assessment and action plan.
Oberholzer pointed to SA Rugby's conversion to shareholder status in the URC, new competitions including Rugby's Greatest Rivalry and the Nations Championship, and a digital transformation strategy as key planks of the sustainability roadmap going forward. Alexander said a return to sustainable profitability "is within reach."
The financial investment in the High-Performance Department has produced tangible returns: 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 secured the SANZAAR U20 Rugby Championship title for the first time, while the Springbok Women reached the Rugby World Cup play-off stages for the first time and broke into the world's top ten.