VIDEO: 'Tours' and ''charter flights' to solve SA teams' Euro travel nightmares
Introducing longer ‘tours’ and looking at ‘charter flights’ are two of the options being investigated to solve the travel nightmares experienced by South African teams in the United Rugby Championship.
The unhealthy travelling schedule received as much airtime as inconsistent match officials from South African teams in the United Rugby Championship.
URC CEO Martin Anayi admitted that the well-documented travel issues remain one of the organisation’s biggest challenges, as they start preparing for Season Three.
South African teams – rather than just one trip like their European rivals – crisscrossed the equator several times.
It was complicated by the fact that an airline sponsorship meant direct flights were not on the table and they had stop-overs in the Qatar capital Doha.
Anayi said that when they put together the ‘business plan’ for South Africa’s inclusion in the URC, the price of an average ticket to South Africa was 35 percent less than it is at the moment.
“That inflation has been quite difficult,” the URC boss said of the complicated task of getting teams to and from Europe.
The cost of the European teams travelling to SA is covered ‘centrally’ by the URC, while the South African Rugby Union covers the cost of the SA teams’ travel.
“There is a hell-of-a-lot more we need to do,” he said of the travel conundrum.
Anayi said bringing the cost of travel down, by “centralising” the purchase of airline tickets is one aspect.
However, the biggest issue was the repeated travelling of SA teams to Europe and back, often in economy class – a major issue for burly forwards.
(Article continues below the Martin Anayi interview ...)
The URC boss said they are also looking at better “routes and scheduling” to avoid the many transfers and layovers that have become a nightmare for teams.
“That is the one thing we are working really, really hard on to improve,” he told @rugby365com.
Anayi said he believes they will sign off from SARU to create ‘slightly longer’ trips.
“It will result in only two tours, rather than three or four tours,” he said.
He said having the same amount of money for two trips, rather than four, will mean better quality travel and avoiding players being in cramped situations for long-haul flights.
The URC boss said ‘charter flights’ is an alternative option they are looking into, to avoid the issues around cramped long-haul flights.
He said that while there won’t be a format change, as every team plays all the teams at least once – a system preferred by the teams.
“To reduce flights, would be to add another match to the tour,” he said, adding that the discussions with the South African Players’ Association and the teams are around that point.
“When it’s a four-match tour, teams can settle into a location and get integrated into their hotel.”
He said they are talking to the airlines about charter flights to solve a lot of the issues around “long lay-overs and indirect flights via, via, etc”.
“[We are] trying to make it more direct and at convenient times, while expanding the number of business class seats available,” Anayi said.
“There is a very low number of business class seats available on those routes and there is an over-subscription.”
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