South African Rugby officials have confirmed that the Southern Kings will play Super Rugby and that the Lions will sit it out for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
This will be for one year, whereupon promotion / relegation matches will be played, home and away, between the Lions and the bottom-placed SA Super Rugby Franchise, to see who plays the following year.
Cheeky Watson says that the voting went 23-6 in favour of the Southern Kings.
“All provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition – Hoskins
“Our goal is to have 6 strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa, this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis – Jurie Roux
Jurie Roux: “We also canvassed Super 15 players before the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism”
Southern Kings CEO, Anele Pamba, confirms that they are in discussions with overseas players and some local (non-Lions) players. They will probably reveal names next Friday.
The 1st ‘BIG ‘ signing for the Southern Kings – Demetri Catrakilis has just announced he has signed for the Kings.
Cheeky Watson is very unhappy with the outcome of the 1 year deal, and says the Southern Kings will lodge an appeal against the ruling and ask for the 3-year guarantee promised by SARU.
“We are extremely disappointed at this result,” De Klerk said.
“This is a very unfortunate decision, which will result in a team taking part in a competition without needing to qualify on rugby merits,” he said of the decision to award the Kings a place in the competition.
The Lions boss stopped short of attacking SARU in his statement, but it is very clear they are not happy.
“We will take time to consider this decision and then to plan our response that best protects our players, staff, stakeholders and supporters,” De Klerk added.
More to follow…
SARU press release
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Thursday confirmed South Africa’s participants in Vodacom Super Rugby at a General Meeting of the member provinces.
The top four teams in the South African Conference in 2012 (DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, The Sharks and Toyota Cheetahs) will join the Southern Kings in the 2013 tournament.
The teams were confirmed after the General Meeting accepted a proposal first tabled by the Executive Council in January. The proposal was that: “The franchise occupying the lowest log position of the five franchises at the end of 2012 would be relegated.”
The MTN Lions, who finished bottom of the South African Conference, will have the chance to regain their status in 12 months’ time. The Executive Council had previously determined that the bottom team in 2013 would play in a two-legged promotion and relegation series against the relegated franchise. The promotion/relegation series will also be in place in 2014 and 2015 – at which point the broadcast contract expires.
“All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition,” said Mr Oregan Hoskins, president of SARU. “That decision was first taken in 2005 but their inclusion has twice been postponed.
“We made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment. The franchise represents more clubs than any other region – apart from the Stormers – and contains numerous leading rugby schools. It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade and a half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.”
Mr Hoskins said that SANZAR’s decision to grant the 15th franchise to Melbourne in 2011 – rather than the Southern Kings – had created a dilemma for SARU. He said that the organisation and players had wanted a “rugby solution” to accommodate six franchises in five places and this had been delivered, as challenging as it was for the relegated team.
“The provinces asked for a rugby solution and we believe that this was the fairest and most transparent method to respond to what is undoubtedly a less than ideal situation,” he said. “We also canvassed Vodacom Super Rugby players before the start of the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism.Jurie Roux, the CEO of SARU, said that the decision to apply a promotion and relegation system from 2013 was standard practice in sport.
“We operate promotion and relegation in all our Absa Currie Cup competitions, with the bottom-placed team being relegated unless it wins a play off,” said Roux. “Our strategic goal is to have six strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa and this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis.”
Cheeky’s response:
planet rugby.com
SARU announced on Thursday that the Kings would play in the 2013 Super Rugby competition, with the Lions dropping out for at least one year.
“I think it is a ludicrous decision,” Watson said after the decision was made at a SARU general council meeting in Cape Town.
“It doesn’t make sense in rugby, not in business, not in the church.
“It doesn’t make sense in any sector of society that you are sitting with a scenario that you are in Super Rugby for one year and expected to achieve.
“But I think we, as the South Eastern Cape, play the hand that we are dealt and we make the best of it.”
SARU confirmed that the promotion/relegation playoff would also be in place in 2014 and 2015, at which point the broadcast rights contract expired and a different format could be considered.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins said the decision to include an Eastern Cape franchise in the Super Rugby tournament was first made in 2005, but was twice postponed.
“All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Super Rugby competition,” Hoskins said.
“We made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment.
“The franchise represents more clubs than any other region — apart from the Stormers — and contains numerous leading rugby schools.
“It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade-and-a-half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.”
hallllllooooo alle janne
@ cat66:
You, me and about 90% of all SA rugby supporters feel the same way.
I suppose that is the frustrating thing, the supporters are what causes the money to flow in, if all the stadiums were empty and no one watched the game on TV, what would happen to all the fat cat administrators? Yet we, the supporters have no say in these decisions, of course we will continue to be supporters no matter what as we love rugby, but it is frustrating
Goeie more Janne.
Long time no speak.
93 @ cat66:
The problem is, and always has been that rugby supporters are actually just RUGBY CONSUMERS…. and when we try to voice our dissatisfaction, we are laughed off because of the general supporter apathy.
@ biltongbok-Jan:
NOG ene!
Hello?
@ Piet-Springbok-Jan:
Whaddup?
Ek het nou al so “gerant” oor die storie, dat ek eintlik niks meer het om oor te rant nie.
@ biltongbok-Jan:
Waar het jy ge-rant, ek sien jou dan nou eers? Moosa klomp janne hier nou….
@ Piet-Springbok-Jan:
Ander plekke.
62 @ PumaSpringbokJan:
Puma, thanks for the thoughts and kind words.
However, I feel utterly betrayed by firstly the Lions management, and obviously SARU.
So much so that I feel the Lions don’t deserve my support, and neither do the SARU structures, including the Boks.
Maybe a bit of over reaction, but I’ve always said and acted on my thoughts and feelings, and I’m not about to change now.
I’m finished with SA Rugby. They will always be a bunch of incompetent fools who treat both their assets an supporters like idiots.
I’m voting with my feet.
As for the Cheetahs and WP who reportedly voted AGAINST the Lions, I sincerely hope you get what you deserve. Clearly your words of solidarity and support uttered in months gone by are worth shit all. LIARS. Just like your SARU puppeteers.
From Lions on FB: “As stated before, the decision taken at the SARU General Council meeting yesterday to eliminate the Lions from SupeRugby in 2013 is very disappointing. Media speculation of an immediate exodus of players have created further uncertainty amongst supporters and stakeholders and Lions management therefore deem it prudent to confirm that the larger group of senior players are contracted at least until 31 October 2013. This list of senior players so contracted include, amongst others:
1 JANSE V RENSBURG, JC
2 VAN DER LINDE, CJ
3 VISAGIE, CALLIE
4 CILLIERS, PAT
5 ROODT, HENDRIK
6 VAN DER MERWE, FRANCO
7 MINNIE, DERICK
8 KRIEL, JACO
9 RHODES, MICHAEL
10 GREEFF, STEPHAN
11 STRAUSS, JOSH
12 WHITELEY, WARREN
13 BONDESIO, MICHAEL
14 CRONJE, ROSS
15 MOOLMAN, WHESTLEY
16 JANTJIES ELTON (during SupeRugby 2013, the player may elect to play at a different franchise if the Lions are not participating in SupeRugby).
17 CRONJE, GUY
18 TAUTE, JACO
19 HOLLENBACH, ALWYN
20 MAPOE, LIONEL
21 DES FOUNTAIN, DYLAN
22 MOOLMAN, BRADLEY
23 VAN RENSBURG, DEON
24 HELBERG, DEON
25 COETZEE, ANDRIES
26 KAMANA, JAMES
Management and players will meet next week to strategise and plan, but for now everyone is focused on the match against the Sharks.
We want to thank the Lions fans for all their support!
Read this and hang your head in shame, SARU: http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2063396.html#rwc+1995+success+honed+transvaal
@ LionJan4ever:
Flokkin skande!!!
One of ths bastions of SA rugby, Ellis Park.
I remember the days the union nearly went bunk under Johan Claassen from Arwa(some pantyhouse company) and later Volkskas, and Jannie le Roux, who also controlled stadium’s booze supplies through his own bottle store.
And then Louis Luyt took over and wiped out a 31m deficit(a huge amount in those days, early 80’s); LL started selling executive corporate suites, promoted boxing, golf (yes, I watched live golf there! David Frost and those okes), pop concerts, soccer…..
100 @ Scrumdown: before you rant on about things, do you have an official list of who voted for and against? Or are you going with mass hysteria?
104 @ LosBokJanKoppie:
Learn to take in the whole sentence that you read! “As for the Cheetahs and WP who reportedly voted AGAINST the Lions,” reportedly being the word you seem to have conveniently glossed over. As far as RANT is concerned, if you consider my comments to be RANTS then I’m afraid you must be a very sheltered individual, because if I decide to rant you can rest assured that the Webmaster will have to censor it.
I’ve said many times that the Lions don’t deserve to be in the SR competition on playing ability, and that neither do the Cheetahs for that matter, that the Kings belong there (or not) is not for me to comment on as they’ve not had a chance to prove themselves.
My point is that when this whole affair was bubbling under a few months ago the SR franchises made a written statement to SARU that they would stand together on the issue. Clearly they haven’t so whether it’s FS and WP, or the Bulls and Sharks or any fukcing combination of the 4, the indisputable point is that those that voted against the Lions are LIARS with fukcall HONOUR, and who’s word mean as much as a thieving oxygen thief politician.
If my assesment of the back stabbing prats hurts you in away way, TOUGH. If you firmly believe that the members of the Exco of the Franchise that you support were true to their word and honoured it, then good for you.
As for SARU, I hope they find someone in PE who will take my place as an active Bok supporter. Someone who doesn’t buy pirated merchandise off the street corner, someone who doesn’t boo the team off the field after a poor game, and someone who will try to buy test match tickets for the whole family and get to the game as often as possible, before visiting a mate’s house who has DSTV so that I can watch the game at a bargain price.
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