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Boks’ home Test schedule for 2022 confirmed

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The Springboks are scheduled to play at DHL Stadium when they face Wales in a three-match series in the Castle Lager Incoming Series in July, before hosting the All Blacks and Argentina in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in August and September, SA Rugby confirmed on Tuesday.

The away leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship will comprise of three Test matches – two against Australia, and one against Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Wales are set to return to South Africa for the first time since 2014 as the Boks kick off their 2022 season with three Tests against the Dragons – at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday 2 July, Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein (9 July) and DHL Stadium in Cape Town (16 July).

The Boks will then launch the home leg of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign three weeks later with back-to-back home Tests against the All Blacks – at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on 6 August, and a week later at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, on 13 August.

They will then depart for Australia for the away leg of the competition where they will meet the Wallabies on Saturday 27 August and again a week later, on 3 September (both venues to be confirmed), before their third away match against Argentina at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires on 17 September.

The Boks will conclude their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign with a home Test against Los Pumas at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 24 September.

“It’s exciting to announce such a strong list of Springbok fixtures this season after a successful 2021 season for the team, and I have no doubt that Jacques Nienaber (Springbok coach), his management team and the players will do their best to build on those achievements this season,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

“Pending the return of crowds to our Tests and with the COVID-19 pandemic still presenting challenges throughout the world, we understand the fluid nature of match schedules, but it is important for us that the team face quality opposition as we gear up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.”

Nienaber was equally excited about the season and said: “It’s a massive honour to represent our country, and the fact that we will be facing such tough competition this season has certainly sparked excitement among the coaches and the players alike.

“We are well underway with our planning for the year, and our knowledge of these teams after facing all of them last season will be vital as we forge ahead in this regard in the next few months.

“Wales, the All Blacks and Australia tested us well last season, and Argentina have proven to be a force to be reckoned with, both at home and away, so although we are expecting a challenging season, we realise the importance of laying a solid foundation as we build up toward next year’s Rugby World Cup.”

The Springboks defeated Wales 23-18 in the opening match of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour in Cardiff last year, while they had mixed results against the All Blacks, going down 19-17 in Townsville before registering a 31-29 victory in their final Castle Lager Rugby Championship match on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Nienaber’s charges won both matches against Argentina in the competition – by 32-12 and 29-10 in Nelson Mandela Bay – but they went down to Australia last year (28-26 in Gold Coast and 30-17 in Brisbane).

Castle Lager Incoming Series fixtures (kick-off times TBC):

Saturday, 2 July: Springboks v Wales – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Saturday, 9 July: Springboks v Wales – Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein

Saturday, 16 July: Springboks v Wales – DHL Stadium, Cape Town

Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixtures (kick-off times TBC):

Saturday, 6 August: Springboks v New Zealand – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Saturday, 13 August: Springboks v New Zealand – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Saturday, 27 August: Springboks v Australia – venue TBC

Saturday, 3 September: Springboks v Australia – venue TBC

Saturday, 17 September: Springboks v Argentina – Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires

Saturday, 24 September: Springboks v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

(Photo: Alasdair Fraser – Treble Images)

Vodacom dials in as North and South collide for URC

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The bold new world of the United Rugby Championship will fly under the banner of Vodacom following the announcement today that the African communications giant has dialled in as South African title sponsor for the new tournament for the next four years.

The Vodacom United Rugby Championship kicks off on 24 September – when the Emirates Lions take on Zebre in Parma, Italy – as north and south collide in what promises to be an intriguing and spectacular new global rugby competition.

Vodacom continue their long association with top-flight franchise rugby in a new-look competition that will feature 16 teams from five countries, battling it out over 144 matches to reach the eight-team play-offs in a season that will extend over eight months until the final in June.

“The United Rugby Championship heralds an exciting new era for South African rugby that will bring us closer to our friends in the northern hemisphere, and we’re delighted to confirm our long-standing partner, Vodacom, as the title sponsor in the southern hemisphere,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“This is an exciting new venture and promises to deliver international club rugby of the highest standard that will benefit South African rugby in the long run and it was typical of Vodacom’s vision that they didn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity to partner with us.

“We’ve been exposed to club rugby from the north for a while now, but the Vodacom United Rugby Championship is a bold step into a brand-new era of franchise rugby for South Africa, in a competition that will reshape the global game.

“The possibilities for the future reflect a gear shift for rugby in South Africa as well as on the north-south axis. As we’ve seen with the recent British & Irish Lions tour, our teams will be facing some of the best players in the world, testing their skills against some of the strongest club sides and going toe-to-toe with master tacticians on a weekly basis.”

<< WATCH THE LAUNCH VIDEO HERE >>

Michelle van Eyden, Head of Sponsorship at Vodacom, said: “Since 1996, when our involvement with Vodacom Super Rugby began, top-flight rugby featuring the best teams with the world’s best players has been ingrained into Vodacom’s DNA.

“As world rugby moved from the amateur to professional era and then into a time of incredible global growth, Vodacom has supported the game’s journey at every step.

“The Vodacom United Rugby Championship is yet another evolution of our proud association with the very best that rugby has to offer, and we look forward to again providing the platform upon which a new era of north-south competition can set a new benchmark in excellence for the game.”

Vodacom announced it would also be using the partnership to promote its support of the South African National Blood Service (SANBS).

“We’re taking this further with the ‘Our Blood is RED’ campaign,” said Van Eyden.

“We’ll be hosting ‘Our Blood is RED’ experiences at each of the South African stadiums during the local Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches for fans to get involved and to drive blood donations.”

The new Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be divided into four pools – a South African Pool, Irish Pool (Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht), Welsh Pool (Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets, Dragons) and Scotland-Italy Pool (Benetton, Edinburgh, Zebre, Glasgow).

Each team will play 18 regular season games – nine at home and nine away – and all the sides will face each other at least once during the league phase of the competition, which will include double-rounds of local derbies before the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

Martin Anayi, CEO of United Rugby Championship, said: “We have the best European clubs in our league, and they as well as their fans are all very aware that we’re now bringing in the South African teams that basically feed the world champion Springboks.

“They will be bringing their own brand of big players, strong runner and high-intensity rugby and there is tremendous excitement about that.

“We have a team like Leinster who have been European champions so many times, and they were foremost in campaigning for the South African teams to join so that it can challenge them and continue to raise the overall standard.”

SuperSport will broadcast all 144 league matches as well as seven finals matches live, with games played simultaneously scheduled on different channels – either SS Rugby, SS Action or SS Variety 2, ensuring a broad range of coverage.

In addition, SuperSport will have a multi-platform offering with streaming on the DStv app and website to ensure sweeping coverage of all eight games per round of the regular season.

“We have chosen ‘It’s a different league’ as our tagline, which is indeed the case,” said Marc Jury, CEO of SuperSport.

“Adding the Vodacom United Rugby Championship to our broadcast portfolio is a huge statement of intent that reflects our belief in the vibrancy and growth of this event. Our coverage will have the same high standards of production that we see across all SuperSport rugby properties and we’ll have a variety of pundits and experts to ensure the best viewing experience.”

Among the optional new broadcast innovations are pencil cameras in coaches boxes, cameras behind kickers and body cams on water carriers, all offering a different perspective.

Anayi added that Vodacom’s longstanding support of South African rugby would be critical to the growth of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

“We want to unite people around rugby like never before and create a version of the game that is inclusive – a game for all,” he said.

“And for this it’s wonderful to have a brand of Vodacom’s standing involved. Vodacom has a strong rugby heritage in South Africa, and it’s made it very easy for us because we don’t have to tell rugby fans in the North about the South African teams.

“They know them well from having watched decades of Vodacom Super Rugby on their televisions. Add in the Springboks’ success in the Rugby World Cup and the recent British & Irish Lions Tour and there is a lot of excitement building. So, Vodacom brings so much to the league and our ability to build the awareness and momentum.”

Marion Vermeulen, SANBS Acting Chief Marketing Officer said: “The SANBS is excited about our partnership with Vodacom during the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, which promises to drive support in numbers from the loyal rugby community.

“Sport remains one of the most established spaces where you find people from across different walks of life coming together to support a shared ambition. We embrace this opportunity and hope to see supporters backing their respective teams, and the greater South African community, by donating blood and contributing towards a collective win through saving lives.”

It’s a bold new era for rugby that will hit South African televisions with an equally bold and exciting broadcast offering from SuperSport.

For any queries regarding Vodacom’s sponsorship of the United Rugby Championship please contact Shelly Samuel (shelly@openfield.co.za)

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Revised Castle Lager B&I Lions schedule confirmed

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SA Rugby and the British & Irish Lions confirmed a revised Castle Lager Lions Series fixture list and venues on Friday.

All eight matches of the Tour will be played in Gauteng and Cape Town to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues and significantly reduces travel.

The Castle Lager Lions Series will now kick off in Gauteng (rather than Cape Town) with three matches against provincial opposition before moving to Cape Town for two more warm-up matches before the first Test at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday 24 July.

The Series then returns to Johannesburg for the second and third Tests at the FNB Stadium.

There is one team change in the revised schedule with the Emirates Lions replacing the SA Invitational team. The adjustment was made to reduce the risks associated with drawing a squad from around the country.

SA Rugby is organising all games in the schedule to comply with the regulations on attendance as will apply at the time of play.

The full Castle Lager Lions Series 2021 is:

  • Saturday 3 July: Emirates Lions v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
  • Wednesday 7 July: Cell C Sharks v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 20h00 (SAT) / 19h00 (BST)
  • Saturday 10 July: Vodacom Bulls v The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
  • Wednesday 14 July: South Africa ‘A’ v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 20h00 (SAT) / 19h00 (BST)
  • Saturday 17 July: DHL Stormers v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
  • Saturday 24 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (1st Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
  • Saturday 31 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (2nd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
  • Saturday 7 Aug: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (3rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)

Treble delivers world-class food & beverage solution at HSBC Cape Town 7s

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Green Point, Cape Town – We saw the speed of sevens rugby illuminating the Mother City this past weekend, as supporters from across the globe gathered for the highly anticipated HSBC Cape Town 7s. The Blitzboks performed extremely well during Saturday’s qualifiers but, unfortunately, went down to the All Blacks in Sunday’s semi-finals. They were able to claim Bronze from Canada, though, while the Cape Town 7s title went to the All Blacks after they defeated Los Pumas in a thrilling final.

Treble Group is extremely honoured to have been part of this magnificent, action-packed event. Our operations team successfully delivered an unmatched food and beverage solution for the third year in a row, catering for over 100,000 rugby supporters, making sure that everyone remained refreshed and hydrated with a wide range of local food and drink options.

Franchise giants, Woolworths and Nando’s, set up deliciously healthy pop-up stores, which were buzzing with customers for conveniently priced meals. Woolworths set up shop at two major kiosks in the inner concourse of the stadium and several conveniently-located coffee kiosks on the outer concourse. Nando’s, meanwhile, prepared and sold hot, fresh chicken on the sport, from two extremely popular marquees. We are so glad to have had Woolworths and Nando’s joining us this year and we could see that the supporters agreed!

As usual, we partnered with South Africa’s brewmasters, SAB, to deliver rugby’s staple refreshment at Cape Town 7s. SAB dominated with multiple watering holes to satiate even the thirstiest of fans. There was a strong presence of their all-new Castle Free – 100% Lager and 0% Alcohol – which became a new favourite among supporters. Our operations team mapped out the logistics of the solution with military correctness and made certain that all points were sufficiently staffed to avoid long queues.

Cape Town 7s saw the return of so many favourite food trucks from previous years as well as several new additions to the delicious menu, plus numerous popular vendors that served from within the stadium’s kiosks. We pride ourselves on partnering with local brands, giving these small businesses the opportunity to shine, as well as with national names and franchises. We are extremely happy with the result of our food and kiosk management from this year and we look forward to working with such great people again.

Meanwhile, our communications team was deployed to capture the supporters dressed in the variety of crazy and striking costumes that have become the Cape Town 7s tradition, and to document the sheer atmosphere of this great event. Our team, the official agency for the Springbok Supporters’ Club media and communications, kept those South Africans who could not attend in the loop of the Cape Town 7s vibe.

Using the wealth of experience that we have gained from extensive event and food & beverage management, the Treble team was able to conceptualise and deliver another world-class service to the 100,000 consumers who filled the stadium with their roar. We are thankful for working with industry greats such as SA Breweries, Peninsula Beverages, Woolworths, Nando’s and Redbull, as well as the numerous popular food kiosk and food truck providers. We are also exceedingly grateful to SA Rugby for partnering with us at this international-standard event.