Cheeky Watson
EP Kings players and the union’s management are again at loggerheads over apparent delays in player payments.
The cash-strapped union was unable to pay players for several months earlier in the season, but the issue was thought to be resolved last month when EP president Cheeky Watson announced that the players were compensated up until the end of July.
However, similar issues appear to have risen again with regards to August’s salaries, and according to CEO Charl Crous they are working at “resolving the matter”.
There is believed to be a threat of a player strike, although Crous said he received no communication in that regard.
The EP Kings are currently struggling in the Currie Cup Premier Division, having lost their 1st 4 matches in this year’s competition.
Their next assignment is against the Xerox Golden Lions at Emirates Airline Park this Saturday (19:10 SA Time kick-off).
Sport24
Cheeky you tool, where is that promised R 200 Million sponsorship, fella… the one you bragged about already before the previous difficulties?
The man speaks with forked tongue too!
Hehehe.
Lions to rub salt into the wounds on Saterday night???
2 @ Scrumdown:
I think the Golden Lions might just put 60 points past the EP Kings on the weekend!
grootblousmile wrote:
Oh yeah?
And what about the second half!!!
4 @ BrumbiesBoy:
They’ll send some tackle bags on as replacements… and still win the 2nd half!
You know what, we make fun of the situation, but just imagine working for Cheeky and not being able to let your debit orders go through, not being able to budget for the month and falling into arrears on all your Bond payments, Cell Phone Contracts, Insurance, Car payments… not being able to have the wife go grocery shopping…
And then this Charismatic Idiot spins you another yarn, and another… and another… and brags to the outside world that he’s lining up the biggest rugby sponsor in SA history!
This is a prequal to a massive failure in Super Rugby in 2016.
It points to utter humiliation in 2016, unless this run-away train is turned around very freegin quickly!
@ grootblousmile:
It’s sad that a once strong & proud Provincial Union has sunk to this.
Indeed, they may be the laughing stock of Super Rugby in 2016.
A great pity really.
Still, I hope the Lions smash them on Saterday!
7 @ Scrumdown:
I wonder where the previous month’s salaries came from… are they practicing the rob Peter to pay Paul method… and if the salaries are behind, what else has not been paid?
You guys must hope you have lights to play under by the weekend!
If this is true it is not good news for SA rugby. The Kings team has improved quite a lot during the last few weeks after a dismal start to their season and had very close losses against the Pumas and Sharks. This is the last thing the players and coaching staff need right now.
9 @ robzim:
Supposing this is true.. not knowing the circumstances… how does their Super Rugby Franchise go about attracting player signings for 2016?
They cannot go into Super Rugby in 2016 with their current player squad, it is not nearly enough, considering they are losing every game and take beatings against the stronger sides.
Would you sign on if you did not know if you were going to get paid?
Al the SA Unions are currently signing and extending player contracts, ensuring their depth is good.
The Kings can’t do the same, not nearly!
The current recipy is the classic recipy for total implosion.
Which major sponsor will sign up under these circumstances, what about the supporting staff around the players, the normal salaried Union staff… how long will they last or work hard or stay loyal?
@ grootblousmile:
There is no doubt that they are in serious trouble unless Cheeky manages to secure the promised sponsorship. As it stands things look bleak for them. Seems the Japanese team might also have problems.
12 @ robzim:
Yip… the Japanese don’t have money problems though, that is another matter altogether… but very serious none the less!
Also cannot be good for Super Rugby if these 2 sides are total farkups and everybody just stroll past them… with their fringe players getting a good run.
Makes one wonder afresh about the size of the Super Rugby tournament as a whole.
SA certainly do not deserve a 6th Franchise, considering where all the SA sides ended in 2015.
Japan seems less than bothered.
Argentina looks well set so far to add value, their contracting seems to have gone well.
Not to worry…SARU will come to the party AGAIN!!!
They’ve done it before so why not again?
That’s probably the “sponsorship” that Sheeky was talking about.
15 @ BrumbiesBoy:
I don’t know, hey!
The 3 Home Unions which comprise the Southern Kings… Border Bulldogs, SWD Eagles & EP Kings are ALL very shaky on the money side.
Recently Border had to be “Managed” with the help of SARU, Kings are platsak and the SWD Eagles have had their share of salary shit in recent years… and look where they stand on the First Division standings… piss poor.
So, there is not 1 stable Union to bargain on in that Franchise… hell they have not even appointed a Super Rugby coach and have just a care-taker coach for the Currie Cup.
What do they sign players with? Monopoly Money?
@ grootblousmile:
“hell they have not even appointed a Super Rugby coach and have just a care-taker coach for the Currie Cup.”
To be fair, neither have the Stormers, Bulls or Sharks at this stage.
However, SARU just keep blundering with the Kings, and keep bailing them out and giving them more and more handouts.
I just hope the Stormers are in the same group as the Kings next year, we might actually pick up some 4 try bonus points for a change
@ grootblousmile:
Nope, Nkandla $!!!
18 @ nortie:
Eddie van der Jones will be your Super Rugbg coach man… at least the Stormers have held interviews for their Coach.
If the Sharks do not appoint a coach, they at least have Gary Glitter to fall back on… not that I worry about the Sharks at all… hehehe
The Bulls… o jinnetjie, who knows what they’ll do AND at this stage I would take Nollis Marais, at least he seems to have a plan of sorts going there, they do not look too shabby at present and they are re-signing their stars and signing more depth. Even Xander Janse van Rensburg seems to be toeing the line recently.
@ grootblousmile:
OK, I’m out, cheers!
Why is it, so many of you seem to take some perverse pleasure in seeing The Kings fall upon hard times?
It can no longer be because they are stopping another SA Team competing in SR. (you will have 6 Teams anyway).
Is it solely because of the “Watsons” association with this Team.
I can assure you, if this was an Aussie or Kiwi Team struggling, (to this degree), there would only be sympathy from others in their Homeland.
Currie Cup: EP Kings fail to play players AGAIN… strike action looms
Spot the mistake.
No surprise at those who take delight in the woes of the Kings if you look at the first few posts. Also those who professes the loudest that HM is the saviour of SA rugby.
Dumb and dumber!
@ cane:
“Why is it, so many of you seem to take some perverse pleasure in seeing The Kings fall upon hard times?”
You can usually detect them by the team/s they support.
Bulls…because they just hate Cheeky because of his political stance back in the day.
Sharks…because the Kings reminds them of the way they returned to top flight rugby.
Lions…because they were kicked out of SR to make way for the Kings.
@ cane:
Howzit mate, I will try & explain as best as possible.
Like every family has the proverbial “black sheep”… so EP is the black sheep of the SA rugby family.
Always have been & always will be in my opinion.
A fiercely proud union over the years and always a battle to overcome at their once-great fortress the Boet Erasmus Stadium, they (together with their great stadium as well) have fallen foul to years of neglect, maladministration & mismanagement of funds, etc.
They always promised so much but never managed to deliver (not even winning a Currie Cup to the best my knowledge) and now rely on funds from “who knows where” to keep afloat.
SARU will now doubtless step in with yet another bailout & yet they had the cheek to DEMAND that the team be admitted to Super Rugby (at the SA Government’s insistence) but we all know about that story don’t we?
This “team” couldn’t even fight their way out of SA’s “first division” & had to rely on SARU to promote them in the boardroom (like they did with Natal in the 80s & which I still disagree with) & this will, in my opinion, do SA more harm than good in the long run.
Perhaps Groot will put up the articles and pictures he has on what happened to the stadium etc to illustrate my point once the union fell into the “wrong” hands…
Oh yes, and finally, sorry but this I must ask…what would NZ rugby supporters think of a player who spoke about wanting to vomit on the silver fern of his jersey because he was pissed off with the administration’s policies, etc?
@ BrumbiesBoy:
best of my knowledge
@ BrumbiesBoy:
“Like every family has the proverbial “black sheep”… so EP is the black sheep of the SA rugby family.”
So, EP has been the “black sheep” of SA rugby since forever. They were given a leg up in 1981 to compete in the top flight after oom Bob withdrew Zim from competing in SA. That, after years in the CC
B-division.
Why is it wrong now?
@ Nama:
To be quite honest I didn’t even know about that because funnily enough I only developed a keen interest in rugby a year or two later, ironically as a direct result of SA being banned after the NZ tour.
I don’t even recall EP being in the B-section that long ago and can only presume that they were given a leg up from “down there” to preserve the number of “quality” teams playing in the A-Section.
26 @ Nama:
Hand-outs are always wrong… but you would not know the difference, would you!
22 @ cane:
If you had a sharleton serial confidence trickster misfit as CEO of 1 of your Super Rugby Franchises, which Franchise was FORCED into existence without merit and was only put in place due to dubious political game play, believe me, there would be division, there would be emotions and it would not be a pretty sight.
But you have not lived the specific politics, safely tucked away in another universe almost, seeing but not seeing, thinking you understand but not nearly coming close to understanding.
The American Indians had a saying, “Don’t judge someone until you have walked a mile in his mocasins!”
grootblousmile wrote:
That’s nothing; try running onto a rugby field wearing a pair of brumby’s shoes!
29 @ BrumbiesBoy:
Fark, the Brumbies head gear is far worse than the Brumbies Shoes!
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