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The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to
World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the
South African Rugby Board The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On the 23 March 1992 the no ...
and the non-racial
South African Rugby Union (SACOS) The South African Rugby Union (founded 1966) was a non-racial governing body for rugby union in South Africa that aligned itself with the anti-apartheid movement. Previously known as the South African Coloured Rugby Football Board, SARU was a foun ...
, and took up its current name in 2005. SARU organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the '' Springboks''.


History

The
South African Rugby Board The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On the 23 March 1992 the no ...
was the
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
governing body of
white South African White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settler ...
s between 1880 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
was handled separately during
South Africa under Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. On 23 March 1992 the non-racial South African Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Board were merged to form the South African Rugby Football Union. The unified body changed its name in 2005 to the current South African Rugby Union. The debacle of the 2003 World Cup saw the Springboks exit in the quarterfinals. Further, SARU experienced the scandal of Kamp Staaldraad, the training camp run by then-Boks coach
Rudolf Straeuli Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player and coach and currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making ...
. Straeuli resigned, as did Rian Oberholzer, the managing director of South Africa Rugby (Pty) Ltd, the commercial arm of SARFU. Soon afterwards, SARFU president Silas Nkununu, facing a strong reelection challenge, withdrew from consideration for election. Brian van Rooyen was elected president of SARU in 2004. He soon became a highly polarising figure in South African sport, with detractors accusing him of financial shenanigans, favouritism, and general mismanagement. His management style was also widely perceived as autocratic. One of the major gripes against the Van Rooyen administration was the allocation of venues for the Springboks home test matches. The KwaZulu-Natal Union and the Free State Union did not receive a Tri Nations Test in either 2005 or 2006. Both unions, vocal opponents of Van Rooyen, accused him of punishing them for their opposition.


SANZAR

However, the biggest bone of contention surrounded the expansion of the
Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
competition. SANZAR, a consortium of the South African, Australian, and New Zealand governing bodies, expanded their Super 12 competition to 14 teams, a change that took effect in 2006. South Africa was entitled to add one franchise to the four from the Super 12 era. In a controversial move, the Southern Spears franchise was assured a place in the 2007 and 2008 competitions, with an increasingly unpopular promotion/relegation system established to keep the total of South African Super 14 teams at its allotted five. Van Rooyen was widely viewed as being responsible for this arrangement, which was generally opposed by the existing Super 12/14 sides. The South African government attempted to step in to address perceived problems within Van Rooyen's administration, but he survived two years of attempts to oust him. Finally, at the 2006 SARU General Meeting, Van Rooyen was voted out in favour of Oregan Hoskins, who immediately promised a more decentralised management style. Shortly after the election, it was alleged that Van Rooyen had offered a bribe of ZAR 3 million (US$485,000) plus a Springboks test against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
to the Free State union in exchange for the union changing its vote in the presidential election in his favour. Hoskins soon announced that a planned investigation into Van Rooyen's administration would go forward. As for the Spears issue, the SARU Presidents' Council issued a recommendation on 24 March 2006 that SA Rugby revisit the decision to admit the Spears. On 19 April 2006, the decision to admit the Spears was officially overturned by SARU.


See also

*
South African Rugby Union (SACOS) The South African Rugby Union (founded 1966) was a non-racial governing body for rugby union in South Africa that aligned itself with the anti-apartheid movement. Previously known as the South African Coloured Rugby Football Board, SARU was a foun ...
*
South African African Rugby Board The South African African Rugby Board (later renamed the South African Rugby Association) was the body that governed black African South African rugby union players during the apartheid era, and one of three segregated rugby unions operating during ...
*
South African Rugby Football Federation The South African Rugby Football Federation was an association formed by the majority of "Coloured" rugby union clubs that broke away from the South African Coloured Rugby Football Board (SACRFB) in the 1960s to affiliate with the whites-only Sout ...
*
South African Rugby Board The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On the 23 March 1992 the no ...
*
South Africa national rugby union team The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerse ...
* South Africa national rugby sevens team *
South Africa women's national rugby union team The South Africa women's national rugby union team represents South Africa in women's international rugby union and is governed by the South African Rugby Union. They have appeared in three World Cups since their debut in the 2006 Women's Rugby ...
* South Africa women's national rugby sevens team *
Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premi ...
*
Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...


References


"Van Rooyen bows to Oregan Hoskins"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 24 February 2006
"How Van Rooyen was eliminated"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 26 February 2006
"Van Rooyen will get his day in the dock"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 28 February 2006
"The big Van Rooyen bribe bombshell"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 28 February 2006
"Spears to get shafted"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 24 March 2006
"It is official: Spears shafted"
''RugbyRugby.com'', 19 April 2006


External links


SA Rugby Homepage
{{South Africa Sport
Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
Rugby union governing bodies in Africa Sports organizations established in 1992 World Rugby members