How to Become A Professional Rugby Player In South Africa

Professional rugby players are talented athletes who pursue rugby as a full-time job. They play for national teams and local or foreign sports clubs.

Does Super Rugby have a salary cap?

The Australian Rugby Union is expected to increase the Super Rugby salary cap by $800,000 in a deal with the Rugby Union Players Association. It is understood the ARU has agreed to raise the cap from $4 million to $4.8m following concerns about the ability of Super Rugby teams to retain players.

Why did South Africa leave Super Rugby?

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) The South African Rugby Union decided Tuesday to pull its top club teams out of Super Rugby in favor of playing in Europe’s PRO14 league, and blamed New Zealand for the sudden breakup of the southern hemisphere competition.

What’s better league or union?

The main reason rugby league is the better sport is the speed of the game. In union, the game is slowed down completely for rucks and scrum resets. In league there is constantly fast flowing rugby, where sometimes the game can last 20+ minutes without the ball going out of play.

Below is How to Become A Professional Rugby Player In South Africa

Gain selection through your country’s grade system – Every union will have an age structure system where you can win a international cap for your current group, e.g. Under 13’s, under 15’s etc

From this position you can gain good exposure to scouts and thus it becomes more likely you will be signed up by a professional club when you are at the appropriate age (This option is viable until you are about 18 years old)

Join a professional club’s junior academy – Almost all the big clubs have academies these days. If you can be signed up by them you are in an ideal position to go on and be noticed and win a professional contract. (This option is viable until you are about 20 years old).

Get noticed playing for semi-professional or amateur clubs – Once you are over 20 years old then the only way to become a professional rugby player is to excel at the lower levels and then to be invited to train with the professional teams and thus go on to win a contract.

The Power of Fitness & Training to Become A Professional Rugby Player In South Africa

Rugby is known for its physicality and high-impact tackles, which often puts a lot of strain and demand on its athletes. It is incredibly important that players are fit and strong enough to endure the battle up and down the pitch.

Ideally, a plan should be put together that structures your training in accordance with meeting the physical demands of rugby.

Usually, rugby players need to have fitness attributes such as aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, speed, mobility and flexibility, agility and coordination, power and strength. Building up fitness in all these areas will better equip a rugby player for the intensity of a rugby match. 

The Development of Skills & Techniques of a Professional Rugby Player

When developing new or old skills it is important to review what you need to improve on and what you still need to learn as well as the skills level that you are currently at and where you want to progress to.

There are plenty of specific training activities that can be used to help improve the various skills needed for rugby. In addition to this, there are five core skills that are imperative to master in order for a rugby player to become a professional at the sport.

These include various different passing techniques such as spin passes and pop passes, different running techniques for example acceleration and multi-direction, accurate communication to support fellow teammates, various tackling situations, and good decision making under pressure

How South African pulls teams from Super Rugby to play in Europe

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The South African Rugby Union decided Tuesday to pull its top club teams out of Super Rugby in favor of playing in Europe’s PRO14 league, and blamed New Zealand for the sudden breakup of the southern hemisphere competition.

The decision was made after a vote of SARU’s provincial unions and the defection could come into effect as soon as next year if an agreement is reached with PRO Rugby Championship, which runs the PRO14.

It would mean the top four teams in South Africa the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions will play their domestic rugby against clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy instead of their traditional rivals in New Zealand and Australia.

South Africa’s top teams have only ever played club rugby against fellow southern hemisphere opposition and have been part of Super Rugby since the tournament’s inception in the early 1990s, when rugby was still an amateur sport.

The world champion Springboks would still play tests against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina in the four-nation Rugby Championship, SARU said. Realistically, however, South Africa’s participation in that championship might also be reconsidered once its top domestic teams’ seasons align with the northern hemisphere.

SARU called Tuesday’s move a vote for a “northern hemisphere future.”

SARU also said it was forced by New Zealand’s “unilateral” decision to organize its own domestic competition, or possibly a trans-Tasman competition involving Australian and other teams for next year. That appeared to be because of uncertainty over if a traditional Super Rugby tournament could go ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic.

What qualifications do you need to be a professional rugby player?

To become a competent professional rugby player, you should have the following skills and abilities;

Good communication and interpersonal skills.

Commitment and dedication.

A good level of physical fitness and stamina to adapt to the rough nature of the game.

Willingness to take advice from trainers and coaches.

How much does a rugby player earn in South Africa?

Rugby in South Africa has a lot more structure compared to football. Players have minimum wagesThe lowest earning players earn R240 000 per year all the way to R2 million per year. There are 30 players who earn a minimum of R35 000 per month on top of their central contracts

How much do you earn as a professional rugby player?

A newly signed professional will earn around £20,000, rising to around £40,000 with experience. In rugby union, the highest wage at an academy for a player with a professional contract is £20,000 a year, while the average for a Premiership player is £70,000.

How Long is a professional rugby players career?

Average career for professional rugby players is 7 years – survey.

Why did South Africa leave Super Rugby?

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) The South African Rugby Union decided Tuesday to pull its top club teams out of Super Rugby in favor of playing in Europe’s PRO14 league, and blamed New Zealand for the sudden breakup of the southern hemisphere competition.

Is South Africa leaving Sanzaar?

The world champions South Africa have officially withdrawn from the Rugby Championship, leaving just Australia, New Zealand and Argentina to challenge for the 2020 title.

Is South Africa leaving Super Rugby?

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has confirmed it will withdraw teams from Super Rugby in favour of playing in Europe’s PRO14 league, blaming New Zealand for its exit from the competition.

Will South Africa return to Super Rugby?

Any chance of South Africa returning to Super Rugby in the foreseeable future is slim to none. That’s the view of new Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos, who cannot see the relationship between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa repairing any time soon.

How much do rugby coaches get paid in South Africa?

There are parts of the world where the sport is much more popular, but this does not mean that the coaches earn more. For example, Indeed explains that a rugby coach in South Africa earns an average of ​R 10269.40 (10,982 rand)​ per month, or aboutr R 123232.83per year.