Boks get a big incentive to win the World Cup

South African rugby is putting up R8,5-million for the Boks to beat England in the Rugby World Cup this month.

A successful World Cup campaign will cost South Africa Rugby R40-million in match fees, win bonuses and tournament incentives.

The Boks leave for Australia on Saturday with the bank thrown at their campaign and the prospect of returning millions richer.

Injury and erratic selection has already accounted for half of the England match investment, but Rudolf Straeuli's World Cup Boks can still claim a R4,5-million bounty should the English be scalped on October 18.

Each of the 30 Rugby World Cup Springbok will earn R150 000 for beating the world's top-ranked team, the split made up from a match fee of R75 000, a win bonus of R25 000 and an added R50 000 for winning the match and heading the league standings.

The 1999 Boks were on R190 000 each to win the tournament.

Four years on, the incentive is 10 times that.

Victory against England will also guarantee the Boks a stroll into the semi-finals.

With the Boks and England expected to whip minnows Georgia, Uruguay and a depleted Samoa, whoever wins on October 18 will be Group D winner.

Assuming the All Blacks win their pool, either Wales or Italy will play in the quarter-finals against the winners of the showdown between the Boks and England.

The losers of this match play the All Blacks in Melbourne.

South Africa Rugby general manager of finance Ivor Bloom confirmed that the Boks stand to earn more than any predecessors if successful.

Bloom also confirmed that the cash carrot was as good as any of the game's leading teams had been guaranteed.

"The way the draw has been structured, a lot of their success will be determined by a win against England. The players were very happy with the way we split the incentives, although the big bonus will only become reality if the Boks win the tournament."

Each Bok will earn in excess of R1-million in the event of winning the World Cup, with a third of the squad enjoying the additional bonus of a minimum yearly retainer of R300 000.

Only a third of the members of the squad going to the World Cup have national contracts.

The others will make their money through match fees, win bonuses and cup incentives.

"The incentives are very competitive. I think an indication of this is the fact that our players signed off the incentive structure a few months ago," said Bloom.

The company had pooled as much money as possible to ensure the Boks would not be lacking in financial motivation.

"The Bok players and the brand are South Africa Rugby's core business. With due regard to the company's financial policies and strategy and within its financial constraints, South Africa Rugby especially in a RWC year, provides the squad with everything it requires to properly prepare for winning the tournament," he said.

Although no financial request has been rejected, Straeuli, win or lose, will be asked to explain why a R4-millon investment was made in players who never made it to the World Cup.

For some of these he may escape censure because of player injury but there is no reasonable explanation for contracting Bolla Conradie, Butch James, A J Venter, Lukas van Biljon, Jannes Labuschagne and Dean Hall - and then not picking four of them in 2003.

These contracts cost South Africa rugby R02-million and the return was 100 minutes of Test rugby (80 from Venter and 20 from Van Biljon).

In addition, Bob Skinstad's R600 000-plus retainer has been rewarded with seven minutes of Test rugby and there was no concerted effort to get Brent Russell, André Pretorius (a combined investment of R700 000 annually) or Skinstad to this year's World Cup.

Medical opinion is that all three would have been in a position to play come the England match and the play-offs.