The South African Rugby Union (SARU), SuperSport and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), on Thursday announced a broadcast agreement between the two media houses, to enable the SABC to broadcast the forthcoming second Castle Lager Incoming Series Test match between the Springboks and Italy.
This highly anticipated match between the two rugby-loving nations will also mark the 30th anniversary of the Springboks historic 1995 Rugby World Cup victory and forms part of the celebrations by SARU to commemorate this historic moment for the country.
The rugby spectacle takes place on Saturday, 12 July and kicks off at 17h10 (CAT) at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. It will be broadcast live on SABC 2, SABC radio stations and on SuperSport (DStv).
Mr Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, said: “The 1995 triumph was a moment that captured the attention of the world – revealing unmatched power of sport to bring people together, to heal deep wounds and to inspire a country that was still finding its feet as a young democracy.
“As SARU, we are working closely with our broadcasters to ensure that all South Africans can be part of this historic occasion.”
Nomsa Chabeli, the SABC’s Group CEO said: “The public broadcaster extends its appreciation to SARU and SuperSport for the spirit in which negotiations took place, to enable us to broadcast this historic match.
“It is important that the SABC is not left out of key national sporting events, which bring the nation together and rugby has been very instrumental in doing that.
“This agreement also highlights the reach that the public broadcaster has in universal access to the nation through its TV and radio platforms, as millions of South Africans will have an opportunity to witness this historic moment.
“We call upon all South Africans to tune in, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Rugby World Cup win in 1995.”
SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha said: “SuperSport is pleased to be able to contribute to the country’s celebration of 30 years of Springbok excellence since that unforgettable moment in 1995.
“That moment united the whole country and we are honoured to be involved in helping unite the country once more around the Springboks. This year also marks 30 years of SuperSport as a stand-alone channel and we are proud to share this milestone with the most successful rugby nation in men’s Rugby World Cup history – the Springboks.
“To make this moment special, SuperSport has a variety of activities throughout the year, including the Springbok Dream Team and special broadcasts on Your World of Champions on DStv.”
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