Beyoncé and K-pop Absent Therefore Argentina v South Africa Needs to Enhance Rugby Football Union's Finances

An initial quick look regarding Twickenham Stadium's scheduled activities and regrettably, again no the music icon. No hit concerts for Mr Sweeney for now. Actually, the Rugby Football Union’s ambition to host more concerts and thus pay for its £660 million redevelopment has encountered a slight setback.

An official document, obtained by a major newspaper, notes: “Due to the unpredictability concerning the capability of public transport to cater for the expected surge in travelers, there remain significant concerns regarding the increased load imposed on the local infrastructure by spectators and if this need can be satisfactorily managed. This will probably lead to a serious inconvenience for Twickenham residents.”

The challenge is manageable but you’d do well to find many regular matchgoers who dispute this.

At the same time, a three-hour committee meeting recently to debate the union's event permit request demonstrated that officials received 192 representations against, 13 supportive comments. A ruling is anticipated soon but the official result will be definitive in an ongoing effort that will continue into the coming year.

In the meantime, the union’s predicament was neatly summed up following an intended summer performance was abruptly transferred to the more compact though updated London O2.

Clearly the stadium fails to pull in the level of performers it desires to optimally employ its large capacity ground because of present arrangements and restrictions.

Moving to Milton Keynes Seems a Bit of a Stretch

But the RFU’s determination to optimize its greatest asset leads us directly to the upcoming Argentina vs South Africa game.

It promises to be a dramatic conclusion to the most exciting Southern Hemisphere tournament in years, upwards of 70,000 are anticipated and it is unquestionably a revenue-generating event.

The fixture is managed by a specialist events company and Steve Berrick, who has years of experience organizing comparable events with the Barbarians at Twickenham and comments, “similar to other ventures it’s usually based on commercial reasons. It’s fair to say everyone participating are happy with what they’ve entered into.”

Argentina's Home Game

Argentina are the “home” side – as was the case when facing Australia in 2016 – and they initiated the move to reach out to Twickenham.

They will generate significantly higher income than if the fixture took place in Argentina, which represents an all-the-more-welcome cash boost considering the absence of the annual tournament in the coming season and logistically it makes sense.

Transportation after last weekend’s match overseas is more forgiving and nearly all of their first-choice players on Saturday play in either the UK or France.

South Africa’s Role

The Springboks are visiting, basically taking part, yet this marks the third occasion during a three-year period they feature in a fixture at Twickenham without England's participation.

The RFU, for its part, receives a hefty stadium hire fee plus additional income from concession sales which should match comparable to as an England fixture considering the large attendance that is expected.

As Sweeney has admitted, Twickenham is the RFU’s “cash cow”.

Is it surprising the union is increasingly letting other teams access their revenue stream if they are willing to pay?

South Africa's Cooperation

The South African team could be eager competitors however, it's deliberate this game is viewed as particularly appropriate to stage at the stadium.

As one insider put it lately, the team bridges northern and southern rugby nowadays with their club sides involved in cross-hemisphere tournaments.

The overseas population in the UK guarantees ticket sales and the timing works well for viewers in their home country.

They come to Twickenham safe in the knowledge that it will do no harm their objectives to enhance their profile internationally, particularly if they secure victory in London impressively.

Future Fixtures and Global Strategy

They are also set to welcome New Zealand for an extensive competition next summer, which will become a regular four-year exchange, plus an additional international fixture is being considered, most likely in Europe, possibly back at Saturday’s venue.

South Africa might just be the visiting team this weekend but it's significant if Bongi Mbonambi achieves Tom Curry’s tally of Twickenham wins over the past two years if the Springboks are victorious against Argentina.

And the RFU, it seems, is only too happy to have them - past controversies like the negative consequences of the World Cup match and Rassie Erasmus’s social-media posts about officiating decisions seemingly put to one side.

London as International Hub

In fact, it seems more and more the venue is being marketed as the northern hemisphere’s go-to neutral venue.

According to the organizer, ‘in England and the UK we welcome overseas sports. There are NFL fixtures, top football nations compete, MLB games occur, it’s just a sports-mad country”.

It is no way to break into new territories – one wouldn't attempt to build cricket interest by hosting a fixture at Lord’s – but periodic matches at the stadium is increasingly justified.

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