South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the national sports association for rugby union in South Africa . It has existed since 1992 and is a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB). The SARU is responsible for the organization of match operations and the national teams.
history
The association was founded on May 23, 1992 after the end of apartheid . It emerged from the union of the South African Rugby Board , which is only allowed for whites, and the South African Rugby Union, which is open to all population groups . The new organization was initially called the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) and adopted its current name in 2005. Former national player and coach Danie Craven became the first association president .
An important development step was the opening of the sport to professional players in 1995, the same year the World Cup took place in South Africa . Increasing commercialization led to the establishment of SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd. in 2001 . , which took over the marketing as well as the trademark rights of the national teams and other selection teams.
organization
The SARU is divided into 14 regional associations, each represented by a selection team in the national championship Currie Cup . These are made up of players from the affiliated clubs.
- Blue Bulls Rugby Union ( Pretoria )
- Boland Rugby Union ( Wellington )
- Border Rugby Football Union ( East London )
- Eastern Province Rugby Union ( Port Elizabeth )
- Falcon-Valke Rugby Union ( Brakpan )
- Free State Rugby Union ( Bloemfontein )
- Golden Lions Rugby Union ( Johannesburg )
- Griffons Rugby Union ( Welkom )
- Griqualand West Rugby Union ( Kimberley )
- Kwazulu-Natal Rugby Union ( Durban )
- Leopards Rugby Union ( Potchefstroom )
- Mpumalanga Rugby Union ( eMalahleni )
- South Western Districts Rugby Football Union ( George )
- Western Province Rugby Football Union ( Cape Town )