Springboks and All Blacks set for R129m windfall as Baltimore Test dubbed ‘The Money Game’

‘The Money Game’ a sellout expected

IOL reports the match, dubbed “The Money Game”, is expected to draw a sellout crowd of around 70,000 at the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, with average ticket prices of about $200 (R3,200). For both unions the fixture is being watched as much for its financial returns as for the sporting result.

Why the move to the US matters

According to IOL, South Africa Rugby Union chief executive Rian Oberholzer said:

“This game was always about finding an option where we could make as much financial gain as we could.”

IOL also quotes Oberholzer as saying:

“At SA Rugby, it is essential that we keep working on our financial stability. To do that, we have to take our brand wider than South Africa.”

World Rugby sees a blueprint

IOL reports World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin arguing the match shows money need not prevent rugby from moving major fixtures offshore. Gilpin was quoted as saying:

“In terms of the match-day economics, (South Africa vs New Zealand) is like a Six Nations match,”

and that the fixture ”

starts to show that (financial return) is not the barrier. So if there is the appetite to take some of these big matches in the future to the US, we can now.

”

IOL says Gilpin suggested the Baltimore Test could become a regular fixture in the run-up to the 2031 Rugby World Cup in the United States, and raised the possibility of moving a Six Nations match across the Atlantic citing an Italy-Ireland fixture in Boston or New York as a potential example.

Neutral ground, familiar field

The Baltimore experiment is being framed as both commercial and competitive. IOL quotes Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus:

“A neutral ground is still 70 by 100 metres,”

and the report adds that the only significant difference would be “the absence of home support for both teams.”

US history for both sides

According to IOL, the Springboks have made only three trips to the US since 1981, most recently playing Wales in Washington in 2018. The All Blacks, IOL reports, have previously played several one-off Tests in the US, including a meeting with Ireland at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2016.

What’s at stake on Saturday

IOL notes South Africa lead the series 2-1 after three Tests and will defend that advantage in Baltimore, where both unions will simultaneously contest a high-profile rugby match and test the commercial potential of staging major fixtures in the US market.