Cheeky Watson
Eastern Province rugby clubs plan to call a special general meeting to pass a motion of no-confidence in EPRU president Cheeky Watson.
According to reports, Watson was set to be served a motion of no confidence at the union’s annual general meeting last Friday, but the meeting was controversially postponed.
One club’s president said that in order to pass the motion of no confidence in Watson, 36 of the union’s clubs (20%) need to sign up.
He said that target would be easy to achieve and they would push to have the meeting as soon as possible.
“We are dealing with tactical, smart but corrupt people here and I suspect underhandedness at the postponement of this meeting. For them to make the call at 16:45 the day before smacks of underhandedness.”
This follows the financial crisis at the EP Kings, which has seen the South African Rugby Union (SARU) step in and take control of their Super Rugby franchise ahead of their re-entry into Super Rugby in 2016.
After various failures to pay player salaries on time earlier in the year, players were again not paid their October salaries, with at least 3 players having to accept food vouchers from the South African Rugby Players’ Association (SARPA), while several players have since left the union.
The cash-flow problems started when a R 200 Million sponsorship deal – promised by Watson – failed to materialise.
In next year’s Super Rugby competition, the Southern Kings have been grouped with the Emirates Lions and Cell C Sharks, as well as the new Los Jaguares team from Argentina. In addition, that group will face the New Zealand Conference rather than the Australian one.
The Southern Kings are scheduled to host the Cell C Sharks at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday 27 February 2016 in their opening Super Rugby fixture of the season.
Sport24
Not a good look from down here in the Antipodes that SA seemed overly desperate to get another team into Super rugby and that team the Kings are becoming a laughing stock and an embarrassment before the season even starts. 100 point floggings by powerhouses such as Crusaders and Brumbies won’t be a good look for SA rugby!!
@ ozziekiwi:
At last someone who calls it as it is.
Players unpaid, coaches unpaid and head coach resigns. Dissent everywhere, and yet the very people who can effect change, the RUGBY PEOPLE of the Eastern cape drag their heels until it comes to this.
As the Lions experienced from 2007 to the present, it takes more than just not liking a President to get rid of him, and even longer to repair the damage that has happened.
Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the new watered down format of Super Rugby 2016 may well hide many of the deficiencies of the Kings franchise, and enable them to slowly build something.
An area with undoubted masses of talent at junior levels, this franchise NEEDS to flourish, changing things at the top may be a good start.
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