All Blacks tour revives old tradition and opens new revenue stream
What is being marketed as "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry" and will be hosted alternately by New Zealand and South Africa every four years. Pic: RODGER BOSCH / AFP via Getty Images
New Zealand's All Blacks this week embark on the first full-scale rugby tour of South Africa in 30 years, restoring one of rugby's enduring traditions while at the same time seeking to create a lucrative sporting property.
The two countries are the game's most successful sides – with seven Rugby World Cups between them – and have a rivalry of more than 100 tests that stretches back to their first clash in 1921 when the Springboks visited New Zealand.
They have restored the tradition of touring each other's country in a bid to create a sporting spectacle that extends beyond both their shores and offers the opportunity to make the revenue that both New Zealand and South Africa earn when the British & Irish Lions tour their respective countries every 12 years.
The tour, which kicks off on Friday against the Stormers in Cape Town, is being marketed as "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry" and will be hosted alternately every four years.
The venture is structured as a 50-50 partnership between SA Rugby and New Zealand Rugby with earnings pooled from sponsorships, stadium ticket sales, merchandise, and international broadcast rights.
The All Blacks will play eight matches, four against provincial franchises and four internationals, with the fourth test in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 12.
The single game in the lucrative North American market is projected to generate between $4 million and $6 million more than a test match hosted in a South African stadium.
"For us as SA Rugby to keep on creating financial stability, we have to start looking at taking our brand wider than just South Africa," said Chief Executive Officer Rian Oberholzer. "You saw when we played in London the massive support we have."
"America is a very important market for us in the run-up to the 2031 World Cup. We want to establish ourselves there as a team that is known to the majority of Americans, that will support the game," he said at a media briefing earlier this year.
Historically, the opening matches against South African provincial outfits were intended to soften up the tourists before the tests against the Springboks, often bloody and violence-filled affairs.
This time, however, the franchise teams will not be able to use their test players, who are in camp with the Boks, who have a warm-up against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday before the first test with the Kiwis in Johannesburg on August 22.
This poses a different problem for the All Blacks, whose preparations could prove lightweight as they seek a proper examination of their potential test side before taking on the Boks.
New Zealand's last full tour in 1996 had them win a series in South Africa for the first time, earning their squad the nickname of "the Incomparables".
