URC boss says growth of competition due to SA teams’ participation

The growth and popularity of the United Rugby Championship is directly related to the four South African teams’ participation in the competition, according to URC chief executive Martin Anayi.

The URC hits the knockout stages this week, with South Africa’s Bulls and Stormers both in action in the quarter-finals, while for the first time since the competition’s inception three years ago all five territories that make up the URC will have at least one team in last-eight action.

Besides the Bulls and Stormers from South Africa being part of the knockout rounds, Ireland have Munster, Leinster and Ulster, Wales have the Ospreys, Scotland have Glasgow Warriors and Italy have Benetton.

Increase in viewers

“Our broadcast audience is up 49 percent globally, and in the UK and Ireland it is up 24 percent.

“Attendances are up 67 percent on last year’s record accumulative audience,” said Anayi on Wednesday.

“Social media is also up, and we are fourth globally on Youtube when it comes to rugby competitions. What it shows is there are more eyeballs on the URC and as a result of that more eyeballs on our clubs and individual brands.

“There has been a year on year rise and last year’s 34.9 million accumulative audience has already been surpassed and that is before we’ve even seen the figures from round 18. There has been growth right across the competition and across the territories.”

‘SA taught us about professionalism’

Anayi attributed much of this growth to South Africa’s participation – and success – in the URC.

The Stormers and Bulls contested the first season’s final in 2021/22 and in 2022/23 the Stormers again featured in the last game.

“In many ways the South Africans have taught us about professionalism and how to be professional, the game has been run along professional lines for longer there,” he said.

Regarding the involvement of all five URC territories in the playoffs, Anayi said: “It has become a proper pan country competition and we are most proud of that, it is great to see teams from all our different nations making the playoffs.

“We haven’t had that in the previous two seasons. It tells us that the competition is working. We want jeopardy throughout the league.

“It was a really close run in (to make the top eight), it went down to the last game, and to get a Welsh qualifier and Benetton getting in from Italy was great and it shows us we have a strong league. It is not just at the top end but also in the deeper reaches of the league that it is strong.”