John Dobson hailed the investment of the Red Disa Consortium as a historic moment for Western Province Rugby, but said the DHL Stormers have no intention of overhauling the squad with big-name signings.
Last week, it was confirmed that Red Disa’s equity deal in securing a controlling shareholding in WP Professional Rugby Pty Ltd had been approved by the South African Competition Commission.
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The move is a major step forward in securing the financial future of the Stormers and moving WP Rugby out of administration.
Stormers coach Dobson applauded the WPRFU clubs for voting in favour of giving a 74% share of the business wing to the Red Disa consortium, and confirmed that the funds will not be invested in a squad makeover.
“We’re not going to get flashy, fly around in jets, go on holiday in Ibiza and start writing huge cheques,” Dobson said. “What we are going to do is to provide a better service to our players in every aspect, such as with conditioning and things like that.
“We are not going to buy 12 new players like some other teams. We have a very good base to work from and the more cohesion we build, the better we will get,” he added.
“What we will be able to do is fill a big void when someone leaves us. If a top player such as Steven Kitshoff gets a big offer from elsewhere, we might be able to keep him with a competitive offer. Or it will be a longer conversation when talking about the possibility of getting RG Snyman.
“However, it’s not our style to press Control, Alt, Delete on the group.”
The Red Disa consortium is made up of Cape Town-based investment holding company Fynbos Ekwiteit and Ardagh Glass Packaging, a global business with a strong South African presence. The Cape-based personal investment company of Andre van der Veen, Marble Head Investments, completes the consortium.
“Both do it for philanthropic reasons,” Dobson explained.
“They want us to be viable and are going to drive the commercial side of things. They realize that we are doing decently on the rugby side, but need a little support.
“This might mean that we don’t have to ask Brok Harris – after he played against the Leicester Tigers – to travel back to the Cape in economy class via Qatar.
“We don’t have to worry about that noise and constant sideshows on the front pages. We had to work for a long time with one hand tied behind our back.
“We feel a little bad because we are not experiencing a wonderful season to date, but the investors have a long-term vision.
“We probably work with a budget of 30% less than certain other teams. It doesn’t bother us. The way we competed – with everything that went on behind the scenes – is a testament to the work of many remarkable people within the organisation.”
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