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Malcolm Marx one of 5 departures from the Super Rugby Lions

(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

World Cup winner Malcolm Marx is one five people who will leave the Super Rugby Lions after South African rugby introduced the industry salary plan (ISP) to deal with the repercussions of Covid-19. The 21-day window allows for players and staff to cancel their current contracts with immediate effect. 

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This is what the Springboks hooker has opted to do and he will now return to Japan, a country that has become very familiar to the 25-year-old in recent times. 

South Africa won the World Cup final in Yokohama last November and rather than return for the start of the 2020 Super Rugby season, Marx took a sabbatical and turned out for Shining Arcs in the Top League season that was cancelled in March. 

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Now, rather than settle back into the way of things at the Lions, he is now poised to take up a contract at the Kubota Spears, who are coached by former two-time Super Rugby champion coach Frans Ludeke.

The four others who have opted out of the Lions under the ISP are Ruan Vermaak, Tyrone Green, Shaun Reynolds and Neil de Bruin. Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli thanked them for their valuable contributions. 

“There is always a big sense of loss and sadness when we lose family members. We wish them well on their journey ahead and thank them for some very special times spent with the Lions,” he Straeuli.

As it stands there is yet no return to work date at the Lions for its remanning staff following the pandemic. The club have appointed a Covid-19 task team to ensure their premises are safe to return to work once prohibited to do so.

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N
NB 43 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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