Q&A: Who is Jurie Roux?

So, you’re worried that Francois Pienaar is no longer Chairman of the Varsity Cup… and the competition will no longer be what it was in his absence?

Well, for starters, Pienaar is not lost to this great tournament of ours and he will continue to serve on the Varsity Cup Board.

And, secondly – and no doubt more importantly, the tournament remains in very safe hands; with Jurie Roux having been announced as the new Chairman of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.

varsitycup.co.za caught up with Roux, ahead of next week’s opening round of fixtures, to find out more about him as a person… and also about his plans for the 2010 tournament and beyond.

(1) Varsity Cup (VC): Jurie, first things first; what exactly is the role of the Varsity Cup Chairman?

Jurie Roux (JR): “I don’t believe the role of Chairman of VC is any different than that of any other company. The Chairman is there to lead the company and its Board of Directors and to ensure that the company is run and administrated in a responsible, efficient way that adds value to the stake- and shareholders. It is a business after all.

“But if you should go to the core of our business, and our business is Varsity Rugby, then I believe the role of the Chairman is to help develop this wonderful game of ours and help make this competition the best rugby competition in the country and, ultimately, be the nursing ground for future Springboks. The Chairman must always know that he is there to serve the game, universities, players, spectators and sponsors.”

(2) VC: Are you daunted, at all, by stepping into the rather large shoes of one Francois Pienaar?

JR: “I would be lying if I said no. Francois was, and still is, one of my rugby heroes. But I am not Francois; I am my own person with my own set of skills. Being fairly ‘young’ in rugby administrator’s terms, I have been in this position before and have learned to just be myself and try to use that what I have learned from the greats like Francois.”

(3) VC: Tell us a bit more about yourself – where do you come from, where were you educated and how long have you been involved in rugby?

JR: “I was born in the Strand and attended Paarl Gymnasium High School. I then went on to Maties (University of Stellenbosch) to further my studies in Accounting, Business Management and Law. I currently work for the University of Stellenbosch and hold the position of Senior Director Finances and Asset Management, it’s a long title, but boils down to the fact that I run the finances of the university. Universities are big business now and we are edging on R3-billion turnover per annum. My total involvement in rugby administration is 16 years.”

(4) VC: Do you hold any other posts within the game?

JR: “Yes I do, I am vice-President of Western Province Rugby Union and also serve on the Board of Directors of WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd. I am also the Chairman of the Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club and have been for the last six years, before that I was on the Executive of the Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club for nine years. I am also a Trustee of the Danie Craven Trust and have been the Manager of the SA Students Team for the last three years.”

(5) VC: The Varsity Cup has captured the imagination of the South African rugby public in a short space of time. What are your thoughts on the tournament?

JR: “I honestly believe we are on to something great – thanks to the endeavors of Francois Pienaar, Duitser Bosman, the sponsors and all the universities. We have brought back the old rivalries associated with intervarsities that had somehow disappeared. Student rugby in its essence is vibrant, exciting, fun and has a major role to play in SA Rugby.

“The rugby public was craving something new and we were lucky enough to be the providers, with the support of great sponsors like FNB and Steinhoff International. I can see that this competition is going to become the predominant development ground for SA Rugby. We are already the testing ground for new laws and referee’s experiments and I can also foresee this growing.”

(6) VC: How could one, perhaps, improve the Varsity Cup?

JR: “The thing about it all is the fact that we are selling entertainment!! Long gone are the days of sport being just sport. The public wants something extra. They want to be entertained; not only with what is happening on the field, but also with what is happening off the field. So we need to improve the standard of play, entertainment and, ultimately, broaden the playing field by including more universities.”

(7) VC: What are your goals for the 2010 Varsity Cup?

JR: “First and foremost; to go bigger and better – both on and off the field! We would like to cement the Varsity Cup as a permanent fixture on the SA Rugby calendar. We have had two awesome years already, and we need to follow that up with one more great year; then we are set and we can just keep growing this competition.

“But, honestly, the biggest goal is to have fun with the game for which myself and everybody else involved has such a great passion.”