Champions Cup brings big payday for Bulls

Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal against Northampton Saints may be a mountain for the Vodacom Bulls to climb, but it certainly will have a positive effect on their balance sheet.

While much of the talk has centered on travel arrangements and finding the best flights for the Bulls team to head to England as the only remaining South African team in the competition, the fact that they will play away from home will be a massive financial boost for the Pretoria team.

With competition rules stating that teams share a 50 per cent gate revenue for the game and the Saints home ground Franklin Gardens apparently sold out for the fixture with a 15249, the Bulls will get an extra payday for just being at the fixture.

With tickets ranging between 8 pounds and 70 pounds for the game, the expected revenue share is likely to be around R4.6-million for the Bulls at the current exchange rate.

That, in itself, with tough financial conditions facing all the franchises, is a massive bonus for the Pretoria side,

It also puts into perspective what the DHL Stormers missed out on when flyhalf Manie Libbok missed the final convection against Stade Rochelais last weekend.

If they had won the nail-biting match, the Stormers would have faced Irish juggernaut Leinster in the quarterfinal at the Aviva Stadium, which seats 51700.

The Stormers would have received a payday that far eclipsed the Bulls in terms of revenue, but with the amount of injuries they had, would have been highly unlikely to score an upset against the Irish side.

Still, it puts into perspective the argument for South African teams in the EPCR competitions, even through travel may be against them when it comes to results.