The Southern Kings rugby team’s reintroduction to Super Rugby has been a major disappointment for players and fans alike. Admittedly, they were assembled just a few weeks before the competition from a group of players on loan from other unions, so excess to requirements, as well as some promising players from the home union, the Eastern Province Kings.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) was obligated to push for the sixth South African team to join Super Rugby after making commitments to the South African Government that they would bring top flight rugby back to the Eastern Cape province. Unfortunately for the very many rugby supporters who feel that the Kings should first earn the right to compete in Super Rugby on merit by virtue of their performances in the Currie Cup, this is not going to happen. SARU are locked into this agreement and the time has surely come to stop deriding the Kings and instead hold SARU accountable for the situation that they have created.
This is not a new issue and dates back to 2005, with the original creation of the Southern Spears. After a vote by SARU’s Presidents Council, the Spears were denied their promised entry into Super Rugby and the franchise folded. The concept did not disappear though and a new franchise, the Southern Kings was born. In 2012, SARU were eventually forced into a corner to deliver on the promises they made to the South African Government and it was decided that the South African team that ended last in the South African Conference would be relegated, to be replaced by the Kings in 2013. The Lions ended up last with a total of 25 points, 13 points behind the fourth placed Cheetahs.
This resulted in the Kings first adventure into Super Rugby, including some surprise results and a full stadium of fans supporting them. The Lions were condemned to a season of games against any available opponents to keep themselves active during the Super Rugby season and rebuilding during the Currie Cup. Both teams’ seasons were defined by the promotion/relegation games at the end of the 2013 Super Rugby campaign, with the Lions earning promotion by virtue of points difference. Both teams managed an away win as the two teams fought for their survival. After the defeat in the two-legged playoff series, the Kings saw a mass departure of players and coaching staff.
The elephant that was in the room at every SARU meeting since that promotion/relegation series was SARU’s commitment to bring top flight rugby to the Eastern Cape. We would have thought that SARU would have noted the lessons learnt from the 2013 season to ensure that the Kings were properly prepared to represent their region and country in the newly expanded Super Rugby tournament in 2016, which also saw the introduction of the Sunwolves from Japan and the Jaguares from Argentina.
Sadly, this was not the case. Firstly, we need to appreciate that the Eastern Province Rugby Union has a history of in-fighting in the boardroom. The second issue is one of finances. The Kings have never had a long-term, high value sponsorship. This is not unique to the Kings ruby team. The region’s cricket team, the Warriors, played the entire 2015/2016 season without a headline sponsor. The region may be able to generate decent sporting talent, but not cash…
Bringing a competitive Kings team to the 2016 Super Rugby competition fell to the Eastern Province Rugby Union President, Cheeky Watson. Some promising acquisitions were made during 2015 and it appeared that a fairly competitive squad was slowly beginning to assemble. This all came crashing down in pieces when the public commitments Watson made regarding huge sponsorships proved to be without foundation and the EP Kings Currie Cup squad went months without receiving their salaries and players were forced to find alternative employment, either with other rugby franchises or clubs around the world, or in the corporate world. A group of players has since banded together and applied for the provisional liquidation of the Eastern Province Rugby Union.
With this scenario unfolding, SARU were forced to step in to ensure that they could uphold their contractual obligation to SANZAAR to muster a team to compete in Super Rugby, let alone a competitive one. It is at this point that we have to question some of the decisions made by SARU, as well as highlight the intent of some decisions.
- Committing to National Government to brining Super Rugby to the Eastern Cape
We cannot question SARU’s intent with this. They have committed to aggressive racial transformation targets and anyone who has ever played rugby at a school or club level in the greater Eastern Cape and Border region will know that there is a vibrant rugby culture, encompassing all racial groups. This region does produce a number of quality rugby players and this is proven by the number of Eastern Cape raised professional rugby players who ply their trade around the country. Uplifting Eastern Cape rugby is a no-brainer. The region was not left behind the rest of the country because it could not produce enough quality rugby players, it was left behind for economic reasons when the game turned professional in 1996, along with aforementioned boardroom battles.
- Not requiring the Kings to report back on their search for sponsorship or their finances
With the knowledge that the EPRFU had no form of sponsorship and therefore very little income other than gate money for provincial games and the occasional Test match, why would SARU not take a direct interest in how their search for a sponsor was going, only to be embarrassed by Watson’s failure to deliver on the promises he made? In the same vein, with the knowledge that the EPRFU did not have a steady income, why did it come as a surprise to SARU in December that the Kings were technically insolvent?
- Assembling a squad that the Port Elizabeth crowd does not identify with
SARU did contract a number of the players that the Southern Kings had recruited, as well as a number of their young prospects. They also cast adrift a number of players that had been attracted to Port Elizabeth in the hope of playing Super Rugby. The Kings squad was supplemented by players from smaller unions that were not requested as loan players by the other Super Rugby franchises, along with a number of players that were excess to requirements by the same franchises. As one rugby fan pointed out, the side is more of a Barbarians team than a team representative of the region.
- Planning for the future
Unless something significant happens over the next couple of months, the Kings are going to find themselves in a similar or worse position at the beginning of 2017. SARU are paying the Kings players the minimum salary allowable in terms of the competition rules and none of them are on multiple year contracts. Some cash flush unions are going to pick up bargain signings over the next couple of months if a solution is not arrived at to contract the current crop of players at a fair salary. It is inconceivable that players such as CJ Velleman, Chris Cloete (admittedly on loan), Malcolm Jaer, Shane Gates, James Hall, Edgar Maratlulle and Thembelani Bholi are going to stick around on a minimum wage. Captain Steven Sykes has already announced his departure to Oyonnax in France and tighthead prop Jacobie Adriaanse is off to join the Vodacom Bulls.
Over the last week, it has been rumoured that English Sports Marketing company, Integrated Sports is looking at investing in the franchise in order to turn them around. For the sake of rugby in the Eastern Cape, we can only hope that there is real substance behind this development. What is of real concern is that SARU seems to be reacting to problems as they arise and not leading in resolving an issue in which they have always had equity.
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