The United Rugby Championship has confirmed that the South African Rugby Union has become the league’s sixth shareholder, joining the Irish, Italian, Scottish and Welsh unions alongside CVC Capital Partners in Pro Rugby Championship DAC, the company that operates the BKT United Rugby Championship.

The move formalises a relationship that began in 2018 when the Toyota Cheetahs and Southern Kings entered the then-PRO14, and accelerated in 2021 with the launch of the URC and the addition of South Africa’s four flagship franchises — the Lions, DHL Stormers, Hollywoodbets Sharks and Vodacom Bulls.

URC chief executive Martin Anayi hailed the step as the natural next phase of a successful partnership.

“There is no doubt about the hugely positive impact South African rugby has had on our league, and confirmation of their addition as a shareholder was always part of the roadmap,” said Martin Anayi, CEO of the URC.

“From a fan’s perspective, nothing changes. But from a business standpoint, our URC team will now work even more closely with South African teams, partners, broadcasters, and stakeholders to continue elevating the league.”

“This alignment across both hemispheres will create day-to-day efficiencies and open the door to exploring new ideas at a faster pace.”

“On behalf of our chairman, David Lynn, and the rest of our board, we extend our thanks to Rian Oberholzer, Mark Alexander, and the team at SA Rugby for reaching this point.”

“Our five territories remain fully committed to the URC’s vision, and we look forward to building on the successes of the past four years.”

SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer described the announcement as the culmination of a strategic shift north.

“This is a red-letter day for South African rugby and marks the completion of a journey that began eight years ago when we first contemplated a northern hemisphere future,” he said.

“There have been doubters over the years, but the vision we shared with Martin Anayi and the URC team has now come to pass, and we look forward to growing the competition as full partners with our colleagues in the north.”

“The competition has gone from strength to strength and with four different winners in the first four seasons of our participation it has proved itself as arguably the most competitive league in rugby. It has been good for our rugby and we look forward to many more years of success.”

League and union officials credited the growth of the URC across broadcast audiences, digital engagement and match attendances in part to South African involvement on and off the pitch.

The URC and SA Rugby also expressed gratitude to key South African commercial stakeholders whose backing has underpinned that rise, including title sponsors Vodacom, broadcast partner SuperSport, as well as Qatar Airways, SA Breweries and Outsurance.

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