Even allowing for the fact the Wallabies' test match against South Africa at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday is "likely to attract less than 30,000 spectators, Rugby Australia is on target to meet its budgeted bottom line of a profit" in excess of A$4M ($2.875M), according to Wayne Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. That is "very much a forward estimate, given RA historically does not announce its financial results until the annual general meeting in April." RA, which last April announced a A$3.7M ($2.659M) surplus, is "bunkering down for its toughest year of the four-year World Cup cycle." With the professional arm of RA -- the Wallabies and the four Super Rugby franchises -- "responsible for generating all of its commercial revenue," a crowd of less than 30,000 "is of serious concern to the national body, even if the Springboks are slightly overexposed in Brisbane." RA CEO Raelene Castle said, "At the end of the day, all of the money that we take into Rugby Australia is generated directly from the professional game." She added, "Rugby Australia takes no money at all directly from the rugby community. ... Anything we invest into the community game is generated directly from the Wallabies and/or Super Rugby and any of our commercial platforms. That's a real focus for me, to make sure that we can spend more money in the community, but it has to come off the back of the Wallabies' platform." It is those other "commercial platforms" that she is "hoping to exploit." In the longer term, Europe is considered to be "fertile ground" and "could become even more vital if Britain continues down the Brexit road." But for the moment, Japan has become the "hot spot for RA," so much so that newly-appointed Commercial Manager Cameron Murray is "heavily based there these days" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/5).
