Salary cap rise a massive boon for South African franchises

South Africa’s franchise teams are set for a massive boon over the coming two seasons as their salary cap is expected to rise by over R27 million.

This is a huge score for the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions as it will bolster their efforts to keep hold of some of their best talent, while also give them the freedom to bring in some major signings.

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The report which appeared in Rapport newspaper last Sunday stated the current salary cap of R67.2 million would rise to R85 million for the 2023-24 season, followed by a further R10 million for the 2024-25 season, taking the cap up to R95 million.

However, the major score, particularly for the unions with bigger budgets such as the Bulls and Sharks, was the addition that an allowance would be made for four marquee players from each franchise that would not count towards the team’s salary cap.

That means that star players such as Eben Etzebeth and Lukhanyo Am at the Sharks, Marcell Coetzee at the Bulls and Damian Willemse at the Stormers, to name a few, wouldn’t have their predictably massive salaries weighing down on the union.

SA stars

It would also open the door for the local franchises to compete with European giants in trying to lure their SA stars back to the country.

It is highly unlikely that SA franchises would be able to lure much foreign talent to our shores, and although spending power of European sides still dwarfs that of the SA teams, the extra spending power could be enough to bring back local stars, especially those players that are missing home.

This will bolster the South African sides, in what has already been a superb entry into the United Rugby Championship competition, while it will also strengthen the squads considerably, allowing them to compete even more in the Champions and Challenge Cup competitions going forward.

It is thus set to be an exciting coming few years for South African rugby and the franchises’ challenge against the best teams of Europe.