Technology is touted as making the game of rugby safer.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) and Vodacom United Rugby Championship(URC) are deriving value from technology-driven insights that help improve the game and ensure player safety.
This came to light during an event in Fourways last week, where Samsung SA announced its partnership with SARU and the Vodacom United Rugby Championship(URC).
Speaking to ITWeb on the sidelines of the event, SARU president Mark Alexander said technology plays a “major” role for the Springboks team.
“We use a system called Outfox where we plot and analyse every game. We have a group of people that analyse the games. After every game, on a Sunday night, the players will receive clips of what they did. We use technology throughout our processes.”
While technology currently plays a role for on-field teams, Alexander said it can also help the organisation make informed decisions in the boardroom.
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“We’re on our digital drive, to be ready by 2027 for the next wave of the [World Cup]. When you have data, you can make more informed decisions. We need to be ready to use data for our business operations and for the team.”
Devised by Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus, Outfox is a video game simulator that tracks players and works out the game plan and moves, according to the SARU president. “Sometimes when you see the players on TV appearing like they are playing video games, it’s not a video game but they’re going through their moves.
“Rassie wrote the program for Outfox…he plans for every scenario in the game. Technology is going to be the biggest part of rugby going forward.
“We want to be more advanced as we head into the 2027 World Cup. From 2019, we’ve had to evolve as an organisation, evolving our game plans in line with new thinking and to meet new demands.”
For Vodacom URC, CEO Martin Anayi said technology and innovation is how the world of rugby will lead and make its next leap.
Vodacom URC is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
Anayi revealed that since its launch five years ago, URC has achieved a compound annual audience growth rate of 30%, with 53 million watching the rugby championship in 2024. Its social media annual growth rate is up 24%.
From a database perspective, URC has been up 400% over the last four years, he said.
Anayi explained that URC uses mouthguards embedded with sensors.
“I think technology will democratise rugby, both from a fan and player perspective. From a player perspective, for example, how the game is made safer for current players.
“The technology in the mouthguards is about speed, force, velocity, etc, allowing us to track real-time if somebody’s taken a big hit to the head and leads us to decide whether to take a player off the field. If a player gets hit too hard, the mouthguard will flash red.
“In training, we monitor load – how much contact and if their head has been knocked without them being aware of it. The technology can tell us that, so it’s making the game safer today.
“There is a huge opportunity, and safety is just one aspect. Technology is super-important to getting more people to play the game and keeping the people in the professional game safer and help with high performance.”
He noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is already valuable to the organisation, as it’s being used in content creation for social media, for example.
A new technology deal has been struck between Samsung SA, SA Rugby and Vodacom URC.
South African sporting teams continue to receive backing from tech conglomerates through endorsement and partnership investments.
In August, Vodacom and SARU signed a partnership agreement, naming Vodacom as the first and exclusive official telecoms partner to all national Springbok teams and SA Rugby-affiliated competitions.
On the football side, Chinese smartphone maker Oppo partnered with Orlando Pirates in 2022, becoming the club’s official mobile partner. Similarly, Honor was named the official technology devices sponsor of the SA men’s senior national team, Bafana Bafana, earlier this year.
Samsung SA has now also come onboard, entering a two-year partnership agreement with SA Rugby and the Vodacom URC.
The South Korean technology firm has become the official mobile and consumer electronics partner across every national team, namely the Springboks, Springbok Women, Junior Boks, Blitzboks and Women’s Sevens, as well as the Vodacom URC.
SARU’s partnership with Samsung SA is a renewed alliance between the organisations, said Alexander. “Samsung’s commitment strengthens our ability to innovate, to reach a new audience and ensure rugby remains a beacon of hope and the pride of our nation. This partnership is a bridge between television, technology and heritage.”
SA Rugby is looking to enhance its training facilities, put communication devices in players’ hands and boost traditional media coverage of the sport.
According to Justin Hume, vice-president of Mobile eXperience at Samsung SA, the collaboration supports Samsung’s audience priorities and the growth of its suite of AI features, Galaxy AI.
It’s also part of the company’s long-term investment in the South African market, Hume stated. “Our technology strengthens connection, performance and progress − values that align naturally with Springbok and Vodacom URC rugby.”
Anayi stated: “The other part is that Samsung also plans to bring new technology in a couple of months, which will hopefully help bring that into sport. Through rugby, we can be innovative and forward-thinking, and reach a much broader audience than just the traditional fans.”
