SA Rugby steps up fan courtship with Carling Champions match

As South Africa’s different sporting codes explore options for attracting spectators back to stadiums in the post-Covid-19 era, they are having to think outside the box.

One such example of out-of-the box ingenuity is the SA Rugby’s Carling Champions match, an idea borrowed from the football version, the Carling Black Label Cup.

In both exhibition matches, supporters are granted the power to build a “dream team” from the available players, through voting. Naturally, with the Springboks in action on the same day (Saturday, 2 July), only players who didn’t make the cut were available for selection.  

The football version takes place before the kick-off of every Premier Soccer League season, having been conceptualised more than a decade ago. It features two of the most supported clubs in South African football – Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs – filling up the iconic calabash (FNB Stadium).

Of course, since the arrival of Covid-19, the dynamics of how sport is consumed by the general public have changed. In 2020, with the pandemic at its peak, the Black Label Cup between the two Soweto sides was canned for that year, and in 2021 was played behind closed doors.

Even as the government recently gazetted a change from 50% capacity at stadiums to 100%, vaccine mandates or the need to provide a negative Covid-19 test not older than 72 hours are deterring fans from flocking back to stadiums in South Africa.

Nevertheless, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander is still hopeful that in the build-up to the second annual Carling Champions match, they have galvanised and captured the imaginations of enough fans to create an electric atmosphere when the match takes place in Gqeberha on Saturday. 

“This match is another good innovation as we step up our efforts to increase fan engagement and offer something fresh for our valued rugby supporters and our loyal corporate partners,” said Alexander about the significance of the match.

In the inaugural edition of the one-off exhibition match, a fan-picked “champions team” faced off with Kenya at the tail-end of 2021. Then, the local composite side, which was coached by the Bulls’ Jake White, romped to an impressive 85-17 win.   

Werner Kok of the Carling Champions tackled during the Carling Champions match between Carling Champions Team and Kenya XV at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on November 06, 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)