Former Springbok Stefan Terblanche will be stepping down from his role as chief executive of the SA Rugby Legends Association (Sarla) to pursue other interests.

In a public statement on Wednesday, Sarla confirmed that it has had to implement operational restructuring in the wake of the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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As part of this restructuring, Terblanche, who has served with the association since retiring in 2012, has decided to step down from his current role as the association’s CEO.

‘On behalf of the Board, the staff and SARLA’s legends, we want to thank Stefan for his valued contribution to SARLA over the past 8 years and wish him all the very best in the next chapter of his career,’ association president Gavin Varejes said.

The non-profit organisation also confirmed that it has sadly had to cancel two of its biggest rugby development programmes, Vuka and Iqhawe, as funding for the two tournaments has been cut.

The board of Sarla, which consists of former players and prominent South African businessmen, will oversee the organisation’s management. The regional offices in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg will remain open.

‘Our hope is to move back to full-time rugby programmes next year, so that SARLA can continue changing lives of the kids in our disadvantaged communities that rely on our development programmes to give them hope for a better future,’ said John Smit, who serves on the Sarla board.

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