Rugby greats Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens have completed the purchase of French second division club Beziers, heading a consortium that also includes former Formula 1 boss Eddie Jordan.

And Skinstad immediately signaled his long-term commitment to the project by announcing that he was looking for property in the area, insisting: “I get interest here more often than I do anywhere else.”

sleeping giants

AS Beziers Herault, the sleeping giants of French football; It is an 11-time national champion, last won 40 years ago and currently sits seventh in the second division.

both old South AfricaCaptain Skinstad and former All Blacks fly-half Mehrtens, who had a spell playing for the club, believe there is huge potential between Toulouse and Montpellier at a club at the heart of French rugby.

Speaking at the club’s inaugural club today, Skinstad said: “I’ve looked at the sporting opportunities around the world, the rugby opportunities, and that’s what excites me and my mates the most.

“This is because the club and the opportunity are well maintained and sustainably looked after by the community and have a history of being a big part of the daily lives of people in this beautiful town.

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“I, my partners, my friends see this as a long-term project that we wholeheartedly look forward to doing. “We see the passion, interest and history of this part of the world as a great opportunity to be with you all on your journey.”

There was speculation that the consortium, backed by Strangford Capital, a Northern Ireland-based private equity firm in which Jordan served as an investor and advisor, was looking to buy London Irish and create a rugby club similar to City Football Group. It has 13 clubs around the world, especially Manchester City.

“London Irish has been around for about three and a half years,” Skinstad said. “There are various English clubs that are not in a good financial situation, there are American clubs, there are South African clubs, there are Australian clubs.

“We are very focused on this club and this opportunity. If it is going to build something in the future it will only be because we have made Beziers successful and it is what is good for Beziers in the future.”

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Investor commitment

The 48-year-old, who made 42 appearances for the Springboks between 1997 and 2007, was keen to impress onlookers that investors’ commitment was very real.

“Frankly, it is very difficult to make long-term plans in this type of negotiation until we reach a conclusion,” he said. “We reached our conclusion very recently.

“Rest assured, I would encourage people to look for property in this part of the world. I’m not going to make a long-term commitment at the moment but there is interest in being here more often than I have anywhere else.”

Skinstad, who has known Jordan since they were introduced at a Stormers match in Cape Town 20 years ago, says the consortium has not set any deadline to return Beziers to its former glory. At this point, he claims that his investments are not “results-based.”

“What we are interested in is investing in the community, investing in sustainability outside the club and the success of the club,” he said. “How this translates into success in the short or near term will be determined by how good we are at it.

“What this translates into on the field comes with ups and downs, ups and downs, good luck and bad luck. But we are committed to investing to make this a successful long-term project.”

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