Vodacom Bulls four players reportedly set their exit

Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal against Northampton Saints may be a mountain for the Vodacom Bulls to climb, but it certainly will have a positive effect on their balance sheet.

While much of the talk has centered on travel arrangements and finding the best flights for the Bulls team to head to England as the only remaining South African team in the competition, the fact that they will play away from home will be a massive financial boost for the Pretoria team.

With competition rules stating that teams share a 50 per cent gate revenue for the game and the Saints home ground Franklin Gardens apparently sold out for the fixture with a 15249, the Bulls will get an extra payday for just being at the fixture.

With tickets ranging between 8 pounds and 70 pounds for the game, the expected revenue share is likely to be around R4.6-million for the Bulls at the current exchange rate.

That, in itself, with tough financial conditions facing all the franchises, is a massive bonus for the Pretoria side,

It also puts into perspective what the DHL Stormers missed out on when flyhalf Manie Libbok missed the final convection against Stade Rochelais last weekend.

If they had won the nail-biting match, the Stormers would have faced Irish juggernaut Leinster in the quarterfinal at the Aviva Stadium, which seats 51700.

The Stormers would have received a payday that far eclipsed the Bulls in terms of revenue, but with the amount of injuries they had, would have been highly unlikely to score an upset against the Irish side.

Still, it puts into perspective the argument for South African teams in the EPCR competitions, even through travel may be against them when it comes to results.

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Champions Cup winner Ewers joins Stormers

football08 August 2024 11:03| © SuperSport

By:Gavin Rich

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Dave Ewers © Getty Images

The DHL Stormers have recruited combative former Exeter Chiefs legend Dave Ewers as a stop-gap at looseforward following the injury to Evan Roos and the Springbok call up to Ben-Jason Dixon.

Roos has been ruled out for six to nine months due to him undergoing a much-needed shoulder operation while Dixon’s elevation to the Boks means that he will probably miss the start of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season.

The opening two weekends on 21 September and 28 September coincide with Bok games in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

With Hacjivah Dayimani also having moved on to France and Nama Xaba going to the Vodacom Bulls, the Cape franchise was in need of reinforcement, and it appears that Ewers, who has been recruited on a short-term contract, will be a good addition to the squad.

He played over 200 games for Exeter Chiefs before his one season move to Ulster, where he would have played with the Stormers’ returning former URC winning captain Steven Kitshoff. While at the Chiefs he was a double trophy winner in 2020 when the English side won both the European Champions Cup and the Premiership.

The 32-year-old, who was selected for England against the Barbarians in 2014 and was part of their Six Nations squad under Eddie Jones in 2016, is a physical player known for his ability to get the team’s he plays for across the gain line with his forceful play and should be a good replacement for Roos during his absence.