The reasons behind the growing exodus of Springbok stars from Japanese rugby are beginning to emerge.
Pieter-Steph du Toit on Friday announced his departure from the Toyota Verblitz and will join Malcolm Marx and Kwagga Smith, who have signed with the Bulls, and the Sharks-bound Manie Libbok back in the Republic.
Cheslin Kolbe rejoined the Stormers this season from the Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, while fellow World Cup winner Damian de Allende has been linked with a move to the Boland Cavaliers.
Several sources told Sunday publication Rapport that most returning Boks are taking an average salary cut of at least 50%, because no South African team can match Japanese offers.
It is believed that one returnee went from about R18-million a year in Japan to about R6.5-million with his South African team, including SA Rugby’s Poni (Player of National Interest) contribution.
Sponsors could pay him more here because he attends corporate events in person, and he earns around R10-million off the field – more than double what he earned in the Far East.
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“The players who are returning come from a unique generation,” one source said. “All of them probably have one thing in common: that this will be their last or maybe second-to-last contract.
“The guy who plays in South Africa moves in South African circles … He has a contact book that is growing all the time. His networks are expanding.
“He stays relevant and has commercial opportunities that he can consider all the time.”
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Life after rugby is also easier at home for these established Boks, another source said.
“In Japan, for example, the players’ children have to go play in a park in the summer. In the winter, they have to go run around in a big shopping mall somewhere.
“Here in South Africa, kids ride around on motorbikes. Go fishing. Hunt, camp and play on the lawn where his grandfather played.
“Those things don’t have a price. That’s what makes South Africans unique.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Getty Images
The post Boks taking pay cuts to play in SA appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The reasons behind the growing exodus of Springbok stars from Japanese rugby are beginning to emerge.
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