[1] The sport has long struggled in South Africa due to traditional schism dispute over professionalism in rugby and the apartheid era objecting to racially integrated teams.

Despite this, further attempts to grow the sport were quashed by the apartheid regime in objection to black and coloured people playing as well as the traditional schism over professionalism in rugby.

[3] In the late 1980s, rugby league began to return on township levels, despite the sport still being banned under the apartheid era.

In 1998, a new and the current governing body, South African Rugby League (SARL), was founded for the professional game.

SARL became a founding members of the newly reformed Rugby League International Federation, the sport's global governing body.

[1][3] Attempts were made to host the 1998 World Club Challenge between the British and Australian champions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg,[5] however the tournament never occurred.

[6][7] They lost out to a joint bid from Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, though received formal praise for the country's development of the sport, particularly for the growth of their domestic game.