HIGH-FLYERS: R739m sponsorship power play – the Boks are a big-bucks business

Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht released the following statement 30 minutes after Daily Maverick’s story citing the SA Civil Aviation Authority’s words on the Cape Town flyover matter was filed:

“Although we have also heard the widespread enthusiasm for a flyby at FNB Stadium this weekend, the forecast weather points to unfavourable conditions for a safe formation flyby,” said the CEO.

“It is on this basis that we withdrew the application for a flyby this Saturday. As a sponsor, it was not Airlink’s intention to detract from the rugby Test matches between South Africa and New Zealand. We’re sorry to disappoint fans and supporters, but safety comes first.”

The wind gusts blowing into the noses of those Embraer jets at the Cape Town Stadium were enough to cause much condiment and cutlery drama at the ChipnDip stand on the west side of the stadium complex, but maybe the Soweto skies were experiencing a hurricane warning at the time of the stunt application withdrawal.

Aerial supremacy

From 2017 to 2024, the budget carrier FlySafair served as the official domestic carrier for SA Rugby, succeeding South African Airways and executing popular low-altitude flyovers of its own.

However, as FlySafair navigated a major corporate restructuring (in which PIC-linked Harith General Partners entered advanced agreements to acquire the airline), managing Competition Commission arbitrations and domestic seat capacity took precedence over a bidding war for escalating rugby intellectual property (IP).

This paved the way for Airlink to secure the premium category sponsorship for the historic 2026 Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour. FlySafair subsequently engaged in aggressive ambush marketing on social media, resharing archival flyover videos to capture residual brand equity.

In a previous conversation ahead of the tour, FlySafair chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon told Daily Maverick that a relationship still existed with the Springboks and that the airline would happily carry the team when needed. He also shared an immense respect for Airlink, acknowledging them as integral to the SA aviation ecosystem.

There seems to be only upside associated with a licence to bear the mark of the reigning back-to-back rugby world champions, enough for struggling retailers to pin their turnaround hopes on.

In 2024, Pick n Pay reported devastating audited financial results, including a R3.2-billion after-tax loss, R6.1-billion in net debt, and a R1.5-billion full-year trading loss. In response, the retailer launched an aggressive R4-billion recapitalisation plan and sought a powerful vehicle to rapidly rehabilitate its brand equity.

Pick n Pay signed a four-year contract as a Tier 1 sponsor of SA Rugby worth R70-million per year, placing its logo in gold on the back of the Springbok playing jersey and securing the front-of-apparel rights for all national team training kits.

Bringing boerewors to a delivery fight

A highly advanced aspect of Pick n Pay’s strategy is its integration with First National Bank (FNB), the Springboks’ front-of-jersey sponsor. FNB and Pick n Pay launched a deeply integrated strategic consumer partnership linking Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper benefits with FNB’s eBucks programme.

By dominating the front (FNB) and back (Pick n Pay) of the jersey, the two brands have created a closed-loop marketing pipeline that yields unprecedented boerewors-and-rolls deals on every Bok matchday.

This loyalty synergy has successfully driven mutual consumer behaviour, funnelling an estimated R600-million in rewards value through the eBucks rewards flow.

In a previous conversation, Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers told Daily Maverick of the immense brand exposure, community integration, and operational traction achieved through this sponsorship:

“The Springboks, for us, is more than just putting the Pick n Pay name on the back of the jersey. If you look at the coverage that we get out of it, it’s extraordinary. I mean from the under-20s, to the women, to all of that stuff. If you look at what we’re doing in community rugby, it’s absolutely unbelievable. The promotional stuff that we’ve got coming now on the back of the Springboks stuff is going to be fantastic.”

In 2025, SA Rugby surpassed the R2-billion group revenue milestone (a 33% YoY increase from R1.5-billion in 2024).

For the first time in the professional era, sponsorship income definitively surpassed broadcast rights revenue. Gross sponsorship revenues surged by 51% to R739-million (up from R488-million in 2024), completely overshadowing the R678-million generated through broadcasting.

Centralising the operational delivery and ownership of domestic Test matches (historically delegated to provincial unions) yielded R402-million in matchday revenues against R213-million in direct delivery costs.

Merchandising royalties also saw double-digit growth to R78-million, heavily aided by dedicated retail stores and an estimated R20-million direct profit share paid by technical apparel partner Nike.

Al wat jy sien is die Groen Masjien

Sponsorship growth became a critical solvency lifeline following the collapse of a proposed $75-million sale of a 20% commercial stake to the US private equity firm Ackerley Sports Group (ASG).

When the transaction failed to secure the necessary support of the member unions, SA Rugby was forced to aggressively commodify and inflate the price of its brand IP to maintain its high-performance model without external equity injection.

The dramatic leap in sponsorship revenue from the R400-million plateau in 2023/24 to R739-million in 2025/26 is the direct result of SA Rugby and its commercial agency, Wasserman (formerly CSM), restructuring partner rights. Moving away from the historical cherry-picking model (where companies exclusively funded the senior men’s Springboks), SA Rugby instituted a whole-of-rugby bundling offer.

If a corporate sponsor wants to be associated with the premier Springbok brand, they are forced to buy into and fund the entire rugby ecosystem, including the Springbok Women, the Junior Boks, and the Sevens programmes.

This strategic bundling is what drove the 51% leap in sponsorship value, effectively securing the long-term sustainability of the sport in South Africa and driving the battle for Springbok skies to new highs (or lows, if you’re counting the actual height above the stadium). DM