SA Rugby and Jurie Roux, SA Rugby’s CEO for the previous 12 years, have confirmed his departure from the function.
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Mark Alexander, President of the South African Rugby Union, mentioned the choice was mutually agreed within the wake of hypothesis about Roux’s future.
“Jurie Roux has consistently emphasised his loyalty to the organisation and his desire to do what is in its best interests,” mentioned Alexander.
The course of to nominate a successor could be suggested sooner or later whereas an performing CEO could be confirmed earlier than the tip of the month.
Alexander mentioned the choice had been mutually agreed throughout 2022 with Roux’s tenure concluding on the finish of the yr.
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Alexander mentioned: “I have never doubted Jurie’s commitment to SA Rugby and this decision was not an easy one for anyone who has worked closely with Jurie for more than a decade – both here and overseas.”
‘Been a privilege’ – Jurie Roux
Roux mentioned main SA Rugby had been a privilege: “The gamers discuss leaving the jersey in a greater situation than once they first acquired it, and my solely hope is that folks will say the identical of my contribution in time.
“It has been a interval of nice challenges and some nice moments, and I wish to thank my native and worldwide colleagues and our business companions for the help they’ve given to rugby and to me over the previous decade.
“I worked with a fantastic group of people daily, and together we have built something amazing that truly unites and inspires our country. Thank you to all the loyal and hardworking staff of SA Rugby; all of you have contributed to the achievements of rugby.”
Roux was appointed CEO in 2010 by the SA Rugby General Council on the advice of an impartial recruitment panel and is the longest-serving CEO of a serious World Rugby federation.
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Alexander mentioned that Roux had been an impressive CEO and leaves the organisation well-placed. He mentioned that Roux had added important worth to the organisation throughout his tenure together with the President and the Executive Council.
“Jurie was a key driver along with the President and the Executive Council in the development of SA Rugby’s Strategic Transformation Plan 2030 – which is already paying handsome dividends on and off the field – and a key contributor to South African rugby’s journey to a private equity partnership,” mentioned Alexander.
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He mentioned that Roux was on the helm of the organisation when it was hit by outdoors forces that set in movement two of the worst durations within the historical past of rugby in South Africa since democracy.
“The first was in 2016 – when the sports ministry acted against several sports, including rugby, over the perceived pace of transformation,” mentioned Alexander.
“We had been barred from bidding for worldwide occasions, sponsors turned their backs on us, and the challenges had been compounded by poor on-field performances.
“A brand new path was crafted to remodel the organisation again to successful ways, which was topped when the Springboks turned world champions in 2019 and our subsequent victory within the sequence towards the British & Irish Lions.
“The second difficult interval was the COVID-19 pandemic. Our revenues had been laborious hit because of our non-participation in worldwide competitions. Jurie along with key {industry} function gamers, drove via an industry-wide mitigation plan was applied that went a good distance in the direction of saving the sport from collapsing.
“Along with the rugby management, Jurie has labored constantly on ways to fulfill new calls for and altering traits in leisure, sport, and rugby, which incorporates negotiations with an fairness companion to fast-track our aims to additional develop our recreation financially.
“The Springboks and Blitzboks are firmly established among the many world’s main groups; our ladies’s rugby programme is on an upward trajectory, and we’ve got had success at all ages group degree on the sector; we’re more likely to gross report sponsorship receipts in 2022.
“We are successfully transitioning to a northern hemisphere future, after negotiating our professional franchises into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Championship after New Zealand unceremoniously killed Super Rugby.”
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Alexander mentioned that the fairness partnership, as soon as concluded, had the potential to allow South African rugby to take part in collaborative advertising alternatives, offering entry to new digital platforms and new ways to have interaction with followers and supply extra ways for them to get pleasure from their rugby.
‘Top-class service’
To guarantee enterprise continuity and to finish ongoing initiatives, in the most effective pursuits of rugby, Roux can be contracted to finish the implementation of the mooted fairness transaction, in addition to the handover to his successor, who can be appointed as soon as the fairness negotiations are finalised.
Alexander mentioned: “Jurie has delivered top-class service to the organisation all through his tenure regardless of the skin pressures on him in current instances. It requires a particular skillset to steer an organisation equivalent to ours and he can be laborious to exchange. It significantly pains me to be making this announcement.
“As an organisation, we wish him well for the future and on behalf of everyone involved in the game, including our rugby-loving supporters and partners, I want to sincerely thank Jurie for his tireless work and commitment. He might be leaving rugby now, but we know he will find success as he did in rugby in whatever he turns his hand to.”