Rugby greats Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens have completed the takeover of French second division club Beziers, heading up a consortium which also features ex-Formula 1 boss Eddie Jordan.
And Skinstad has immediately signalled his long-term commitment to the project by revealing he is looking for property in the area, insisting: “The interest is here to be here more often than I am anywhere else”.
Sleeping giants
AS Beziers Herault are sleeping giants of the French game, 11-time national champions who won their most recent title 40 years ago and currently languish seventh in the second division.
Both former South Africa captain Skinstad and ex-All Blacks fly-half Mehrtens, who had a spell playing for the club, believe there is enormous potential in a club which lies right at the heart of French rugby, between Toulouse and Montpellier.
Speaking at their unveiling, Skinstad said: “I have looked at sporting opportunities, rugby opportunities, around the world, and this is the one that excites me and friends the most.
“That is because the club and the opportunity are well maintained and sustainably looked after by the community and have a history of being a huge part of the daily life of the people in this beautiful town.
“Myself, my partners, my friends see it as a long-term project that we are looking forward to taking very close to our heart. We see the passion, the interest and the history in this part of the world as a great opportunity for us to be alongside all of you on your journey.”
There had been speculation the consortium, backed by Strangford Capital, a private equity firm based in Northern Ireland for whom Jordan acts as an investor and advisor, wanted to buy London Irish and build a stable of rugby clubs similar to the City Football Group, which owns 13 clubs around the world, most notably Manchester City.
“London Irish have been on the market for about three and a half years,” said Skinstad. “There’s various English clubs that are not in a good financial position, there’s American clubs available, South African clubs available, Australian clubs available.
“We are very focused on this club and this opportunity. If it forms something in the future it will only be because we have made a success of Beziers and it is what’s good for Beziers for the future.”
Investor commitment
The 48-year old, who won 42 caps for the Springboks between 1997-2007, was keen to impress on his audience that the commitment of the investors is very real.
“Obviously with a negotiation of this nature it is very difficult to make long-term plans until you have reached a conclusion,” he said. “We have reached our conclusion very recently.
“Rest assured, I am engaging people to look for property in this part of the world. I won’t make a long-term commitment right now but the interest is here to be here more often than I am anywhere else.”
Skinstad, who has known Jordan since being introduced to him at a Stormers match in Cape Town 20 years ago, says the consortium has set no deadline on restoring Beziers to its former glories. He claims their investment is not “outcome-based” at this point.
“What we’re interested in is investing in the community, investing in the sustainability off the club and the success of the club,” he said. “How that turns into success in the short or near term will be determined by how good we are at that.
“What it translates into on the field comes with highs and lows and ups and downs and good luck and bad luck. But we’re very committed to investing in making this a long-term successful project.”
