Doha — SA Rugby president Mark Alexander expressed his delight with a new partnership between the United Rugby Championship, European Professional Club Rugby and Qatar Airways, which was announced in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.
The three-year deal will benefit South Africa’s five franchises — the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions (United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup), as well as the Cheetahs (Challenge Cup) — significantly as their flights to and from Europe will be sponsored by Qatar Airways.
“Flying into Doha, with the facilities at the airport, breaks that journey for us: the gyms and stuff that the players can use,” Alexander said at a media briefing at the Hamad International Airport in Doha on Sunday.
“Flying into the UK and Europe, it’s ideal for us, breaking the journey. They have a world-class high performance centre here as well — Jean de Villiers did his rehab here when he was injured.
“Our portion of this is in flights, and it’s a great relief for us. Flights (prices) have skyrocketed since Covid-19, so it’s a great big budget relief for us, and we are excited about that.”
The announcement was also attended by Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen and Glasgow Warriors scrumhalf Ali Price, as well as URC chief executive Martin Anayi and EPCR chief executive Anthony Lepage.
“At Qatar Airways, we bring the world and communities together — through travel, of course, but also through sport,” group chief executive of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker said.
“Today, we continue that mission by providing greater access to fans to watch their favourite teams compete, and supporting URC players and coaches and South African teams competing in EPCR competitions as they make cross-hemisphere trips via Doha to match destinations.”
As part of the partnership, Qatar Airways will soon be offering URC all-inclusive travel packages with flights, hotels and match tickets.
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