Saracens have been forced to cancel their plans to take a Heineken Cup match to Cape Town South Africa and moved the match back to London due to a spat in Cape Town itself over the stadium.
Saracens have issued a statement stating that they have “decided the Heineken Cup match against Biarritz on Saturday January 14th will be played not in Cape Town, but in London.”
Last week, Cape Town City Officials announced, to great fanfare, that they would host the match between Saracens and Biarritz at the Cape Town Stadium, built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
But the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) announced earlier this week – seemingly without Saracens knowledge – that the match would be hosted at Newlands and had started selling tickets for the historic event.
A conflict between the City of Cape Town and WPRFU has since broken out and Saracens say that they “have no wish to be a catalyst for conflict between the City of Cape Town and the Western Province Rugby Union.”
The match would have been the first ever Heineken Cup match played outside Europe and had the backing of the IRB, the RFU and SA Rugby but after this it seems like it will be a long time before all parties can agree to take the risk again.
Saracens nevertheless remain positive and in their statement say that they, “look forward to playing a competitive match in Cape Town as soon as local circumstances allow.”
“Supporters who have bought tickets in South Africa will be fully refunded by Computicket, and Saracens will engage with UK-based supporters who have already booked air tickets and accommodation, and ensure they are appropriately compensated.”
Saracens have not yet confirmed whether the match will be played at Vicarage Road or Wembley where they have taken some of their Heineken Cup matches in the past.
Hahahaha… WP Rugby Union and Cape Town fight and both lose out!
Dom flokkers!
Didn’t see this up, and posted a comment in the FNB stadium thread. I am truly horrified by the stupidity of WPRU. It’s not as if they would have lost revenue as this game was not on the calendar. How short sighted is this, they really just think about themselves. There should be a transfer window for management too, and then they could all be shipped off to the Blue Daisies to help themand Hunky Heineke with the new 2012 masterplan.
2 @ Just For Kicks:
We don’t want them, we only want winners!
To sweeten the deal, I’ll throw in Seb Blatter, but thats my final offer
4 @ Just For Kicks:
Only if you manage to convince SARU to appoint Heyneke Meyer as Bokke coach…. we’ll silently pretend to use the WP plonkers, but work them out the system quicly… hehehe
We’ll treat them like mushrooms…. keep them in the dark and feed them shit!
WowImsodisappointed thatIwontbeabletoseethegreat starsoftheheinekencupincapetown Iwassoexcitedasitwassucha groundbreakingeventblahblahblah
Die volgende slegte nuus wat ons gaan hoor is dat die WP chokers se afrigter die bok afrigter gaan word.
One wonders if the folk responsible for tourism in Cape Town can get together with all the stakeholders, hotels restaurants shops etc and find out from Saracens how many people had already booked their flights over and how many more would still possibly have gone to Cape Town from abroad and within SA and use their clever money men to come up with a figure of lost revenue due to this and sue WPRU (or maybe even Cape Town municipality) or whoever is culpable for this loss of revenue due to this cancellation – surely they can pin the blame down onto somebody??? What are your thoughts as an old law man GBS?
hahahahaha
fokkers!!!
@ Bullscot:I reckon I have lost the potential sale of a few bottles of wine!!!
8 @ Bullscot:
South Africa is not like the United States where you can sue your Auntie for millions for looking skew at you while your little brother’s toe happened to be sore at the time.
Those farkers are freegin crazy and sue-happy!
One would battle to prove any quantum on any losses as well as any just cause for your claim… at the same time whilst WPRFU had the right as Rugby Host of the City of Cape Town to determine the venue…
I know WPRF is freegin silly and was very childish about the issue…. but that’s about it.
The old addage of ‘Cutting your nose, to spite your face’ applies here.
@ grootblousmile:
The only civil action I could see that might have some success, is whoever did the original deal with Saracens to sue Saracens for cancelling….Would be stupid though. Unless there is a signed contact it can only serve to make the lawyers rich….what a ballsup.
12 @ 4man:
I understood the question from Bully to be more aimed at either Cape Town Local Government or at WPRFU… not against Sarries.
Regarding Sarries, this is a complex and even a more difficult situation. We’re dealing with International Law and cross-border litigation, difficult to do and prohibitively expensive, but more than that… do you think Saracens or any other UK or European side will even consider ever playing in Cape Town or SA again if they are sued?
Not knowing the specifics of contracts signed, if any, with Cape Town or the Cape Town Stadium’s management company, we can only speculate.
In fact, if I remember correctly some of the same hands have influence and some control in both Saracens and the Cape Town Stadium management company, so who in his right mind would initiate legal action against a place where you have a stake in both sides of the coin?
The folly of suing Saracens however stands out clear… whether there is a justifyable cause for damages or breach of agreement or not…
One must be careful not to win a battle (if possible at all) but to lose the long term ‘war’, because we in SA want to do business with these UK and European Rugby entities in future, on a good footing. The attitudes of WPRFU and / or Cape Town in handling this matter has done enough damage as is.
11 @ grootblousmile:
you funny man, my Aunty may not even have millions 
But as you say there are big differences between the countries, from what I can gather UK position sits somewhere between the US and SA but maybe leaning a bit more towards US way although I think there have been moves recently to change something to do with the “no win no fee” companies/culture. Regarding the rugby, once I’d posted I realized that it had been written that WPRU have some or other legal rights about rugby games in Cape Town and so they must have been acting within the law and probably not liable, but the phrase to do with spirit of law vs letter of law comes to mind.
10@ Just For Kicks:
Ag no thats a pity man, people don’t always think of all the “down the line” consequences of their dealings and the loss of tourism revenue was one of the things that seemed to me to be a logical result of their decision.
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