First Zeelim Nel tells us in the weekend Argus that the Kings have accepted a R40 mil bribe to stay out of the S15 till 2016, then the Kings come out on their twitter page and pooh pooh the idea. Who’s telling the truth, who’s lying, who’s leaking this rubbish, and when will SARU just tell us once and for all what is happening?
First we have
sport24
Cape Town – The Southern Kings have accepted a multi-million rand offer from the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to postpone their inclusion in the Super Rugby competition.
The Weekend Argus reports that the Kings agreed to delay their Super Rugby entry until 2016 in exchange for R40m and Currie Cup Premier Division status from next year.
This comes after SARU earlier this year announced that the Kings would play Super Rugby in 2013. SARU was hoping to convince SANZAR to extend the competition to 16 teams in the hope of having six South African teams, but SANZAR made it clear the competition will remain with 15 teams for at least the next few years.
SARU is now hoping that by 2016 a negotiation could be reached to expand the competition to 16 teams.
The Kings apparently accepted the multi-million rand deal because they weren’t successful in luring enough top-flight players to the franchise for next year.
This news will be welcomed by rugby fans in Johannesburg as the Lions – who was the last-placed SA team in Super Rugby this year – were likely to be relegated at the expense of the Eastern Cape franchise.
Then we get
planetrugby
The Southern Kings have rubbished reports that they have accepted R40m from the South African Rugby Union that delays their Super Rugby entry.
The Weekend Argus revealed on Sunday that the Southern Kings will have to wait until 2016 before joining the competition and that they took the deal due to the fact they had failed to sign a sufficient number of top players to compete next season.
However in response to the story, the Kings posted a denial on their official Twitter page.
“The story going around we’ve taken money to stay out of Super Rugby in 2013 is NOT TRUE! We will be playing Super Rugby in 2013,” it read.
The report from the Argus stated that the Kings would play in the Currie Cup Premier Division as from 2013 while SARU looks to sway SANZAR to turn the competition into a sixteen-team format. If one is to believe the report, the Lions will stay in Super Rugby for at least three more campaigns.
The Tweet –
“The reported article in the Argus of the negotiated R40m comes as an absolute surprise to the Executive of EPRU Union” – Cheeky Watson
To hell with the Spoes’s!
maybe the tweet shouldve read:
“The reported article in the Argus of the negotiated R40m comes as an absolute surprise to the Executive of EPRU Union …. BUT NOT TO ME” – Cheeky Watson
When will this site do a article about the Bulls hogging and wasting all SA talent?
not related to this article
but
how was this conference system ever approved?
jeez,
not only get the team who just made it (the reds) a home play-off game
but
they are also seen as the HIGHEST QUALIFIER in this weekend’s group
eg
stormers to face the lowest qualifier next week, but because of the conference system it cant be reds although they’re the team with the LEAST amount of points in this weekend’s play-offs!!
this
could only have been australian rugby’s initiative!!
mclook
i’ve stumbled onto the following link on your site:
http://springbokrugby.webs.com/3rdtourmatch.htm
..
quite an interesting article there (proteas vs all blacks). its been quite an eye-opener to me:
1. because i didnt even know that a team of colour actually played against the all blacks (in the apartheid era)
2. strange thing is that i’ve never heard any of the older folks talk about this encounter.
think i’ll have to go kick their asses because this is the kind of stuff that can so easily get lost with time.
…
thank you. thank you. thank you so much!!
#5
come to think of it … the silence surrounding that match may have been because i was raised in a sacos environment and that the team representing the proteas were not seen as representative to the cullert people!! 😀
but thanks a lot anyway!!
haha Nice tackle there on Laurie Mains
@ ashley:
Ek was 1976 op Nuweland toe Noble vir SA Platteland innie hoekie voor die Spoorweg-/Noordpawiljoen gaan druk het….die applous gee my nog nou hoendervleis!!!!!
@ Loosehead:
Cheeky is not surprised……(doesn’t deny the deal either). Anyway, that’s old Cheeky for you…..he is the one guy I would never buy a second-hand car from, just can’t believe anything this guy says, a born narcisist he is.
pietman @ 8
jeez oom noag, hoe oud is oom dan?
I wonder who will get the fee for negotiating the R40 million pay out? I suppose 10% to whoever did it, and then the Union will pay board members a bonus, then upgrades to cars, houses etc, then pay some debt’s off, then pay for the staduim, then pay the players………………..by the time 2016 comes around they would have spent it all.
I heard it was 4 million and unlimited free text….
loosehead @ 11
thats more or less the concern as (i think) they’ve received a similar pay-out a few years ago!!
Spooony @ 12
lol
Looking at the Lions financial state wonder if they would have taken the money rather. Kings had huge financial backing and even throwing huge sums of money at players no one wanted to go there. I wonder why. Who want to move to a franchise where you play 16 games Super Rugby and the rest in devision 1 of the Currie Cup? Its like Coventry City trying to buy players like Messi and Ronaldo playing in the Coca Cola league.
@ Spooony 14.
I had a very similar thought when I first rad the initial report. If Saru has money to dish out, why not help a struggle Union like the Lions or Cheetahs?
Imagine if you gave the Staat R40 mil? Sure that would help them shoot for a single digit on the log next year!
Anyway, if I were the Queens, I would take this offer… 3 years to prepare in the Currie Cup, a big financial boost… like the “promised sponsers” will stick around much longer after they lose all of their games in the 2013 SR comp.
@ 12… hahaha, does that also include unlimited broadband adn 300 free outgoing calls?
And the young tallent they wanted to grow has already been signed by the Bulls. Btw Bulls WTF you want to do with 7 top centers?
I was “informed” during a casual chat after the Lions / Rebels game that the current status quo would remain next year.
@ Spooony:
Please leave the REAL Sky Blues out of this arguement.
Their dismal 2011/2012 season and subsequent relegation to what is effectively the “3rd” division has given the “pride” of the West Midlands enough problems, without being dragged into Rugby related issues. (Not that Coventry’s Rugby Union team has performed much better in recent years either!)
@Scrumdown
haha but that is sad to see them tumble. They and Wimbledon use to survive and beat the top sides in the EPL with a budget less than Christian Ronaldo’s hair products.
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