With the Springboks kicking off their international campaign in excellent winning fashion, it appears that another war has broken out, and this time it is the battle of the retailers.
Earlier this year the World Cup winning team announced their partnership with the Pick n Pay, which would ultimately see the logo of the renowned retailer feature of the jersey of all rugby formats starting with the Springbok sevens team, who at the time showed off the new sponsor in the Hong Kong leg of the tournament.
At the time, SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer praised the retailer for the work they do in communities, highlighting that it perfectly aligns with what the Springboks stood for.
“Through this partnership, Pick n Pay and SA Rugby unite to uplift, empower, and inspire. Just as the Springboks and our other national teams play for the pride of the nation, Pick n Pay’s people have made a difference every day for over 50 years,” he said.
He continued, “The company has a proud legacy, serving South Africans and always being there for communities in need. Both teams prove that through teamwork and commitment, we can inspire a nation, both on and off the field.”
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However, as the World Champions kicked off preparations ahead of the international season, much has been said about the design of their training kit, which consisted of bright yellow/mustard colouring as well as a massive Pick n Pay sticker covering the chest area.
This has since caused a discussion on social media platforms, with most disapproving of the design while heavily concerned that the match-day kit might resemble the training kit. While this appeared not to be the case, this has not the prominent supermarket chain Checkers, from throwing shade at their retail rivals.
In 2023, the Checkers delivery service Sixty60 grew in popularity after online trolls likened the Springboks’ turquoise away kit to their brand – a non-official partnership they were more than happy to embrace.
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But with Pick n Pay now beating them to an official partnership, Checkers has since released a shady advertisement as they supported the Boks ahead of this past weekend’s match against the Barbarians.
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Also see: From Sixty60 to PnP: Springboks’ latest training kit fails to impress
