Jonny May’s Claims About South African Teams’ Spending Power Debunked
Following Gloucester’s defeat to the Sharks in the Challenge Cup final, former England winger Jonny May described the South African side’s spending power as ‘a joke’. However, a closer look at the numbers reveals that May’s claims do not hold up.
The Sharks’ starting XV for the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium boasted an impressive lineup, including four double Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks and four other capped Boks. Despite their star-studded roster, the Durbanites have had a challenging season in the United Rugby Championship (URC), heading into the final round ranked 13th. Yet, they managed to secure a 22-36 victory over Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final.
May argued that Premiership teams cannot compete with the financial power of Irish, French, and South African squads. “How is it that the English teams are going to compete with clubs who are spending three times the amount on their squad?” he questioned on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.
However, the facts tell a different story. The South African URC franchises are restricted to an annual salary cap of R85 million (about £3.5m) for the 2023/24 season, a significant increase from the previous year’s R71 million (£2.9m). In contrast, Premiership Rugby clubs must adhere to a salary cap of £5 million (about R119.5m), nearly double the South African teams’ budget.
Furthermore, the Premiership’s salary cap is set to balloon to £6.4 million for the 2024/25 season, further widening the gap. While SA Rugby does assist the franchises through their Player of National Interest scheme, it is far from the central contracting system used by Ireland and New Zealand.
“Interestingly, many South African stars have chosen to play abroad, with Premiership clubs signing top players like Francois Pienaar, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Faf de Klerk, and Franco Mostert over the years. This suggests that the financial opportunities outside of South Africa are more attractive, despite the claims of South African teams’ spending power being a ‘joke’.”
Even the Top 14’s salary cap, at about £9.2 million (around R220.3 million), is far greater than that of the South African URC teams, yet the Sharks were able to overcome Clermont in the semi-finals.
In conclusion, Jonny May’s assertions about the South African teams’ spending power being a ‘joke’ are simply inaccurate. The facts show that Premiership clubs have a significantly higher salary cap than their South African counterparts, and the game in England, while facing financial challenges, still possesses greater spending power than the URC franchises.
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