[dropcap]M[/dropcap]obile operator MTN is displacing rival Vodacom as the headline sponsor of the Springbok rugby team, SA Rugby announced on Friday.
The telecommunications company has signed a three-year deal to sponsor the national team, said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
The MTN brand will be carried on the Springboks’ playing jersey starting on Saturday in Pretoria in the first match of the three-test series against France.
MTN South Africa chief operating officer Enzo Scarcella said in a statement that the company has been a supporter of South African sport for a long time.
“We will seek to make both our customers’ and rugby supporters’ lives brighter by offering unique experiences and competitions that will be rolled out in the coming weeks,” Scarcella said.
“It has been a race against time to ensure that all that needed to be put into place to make this agreement possible could be completed,” SA Rugby said.
Roux said that it had been a “hectic few days and weeks to ensure the Springboks started the season with MTN on the team’s jerseys”.
The agreement was concluded on Thursday.
“Asics has assured supporters that they will be working around the clock with the aim of providing Springboks fans with the MTN-branded jersey for the start of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship,” SA Rugby said. — (c) 2017 NewsCentral Media
