Carlos Spencer
Could Auckland rugby icon Carlos Spencer be on the verge of making a dramatic return to the Blues as a skills coach under Tana Umaga?
It might seem a longshot but the door could be open according to Blues boss Michael Redman.
Spencer, among the most gifted footballers in New Zealand rugby history, wants to return to New Zealand from South Africa having quit Super Rugby’s Kings franchise which he says owes him substantial wages.
Redman told the Herald the Blues will decide within days whether to appoint a new skills coach, or make the job contestable. If it is the latter, Spencer – who approached the franchise this year – would “absolutely be an option and we would hope and expect he would apply.”
The 39-year-old Spencer is on the lookout for a new job after parting ways with South Africa’s Eastern Province Kings, the apparently financially troubled franchise which returns to the expanded Super Rugby competition next season.
His shock departure from the Kings, revealed yesterday, has cast a further spotlight on issues facing the expanded Super Rugby competition.
Spencer’s Auckland lawyer David Jones told the Herald that Spencer registered his interest with the Blues in May, as the Kings continued to have troubles meeting their wage obligations to Spencer and players. While Jones felt the Blues had failed to reply to Spencer, Redman said his interest was formally registered and the matter was not closed just yet.
The brilliant former All Black flyhalf was so keen on a return home and disappointed in the way the Blues were performing that he approached the Auckland-based franchise about an assistant’s role when John Kirwan was still in charge. Spencer thought he could help restore the Blues by taking up a role as a backs / attack / skills coach.
Meanwhile Jones strongly rejected reports claiming Spencer had paid the price for poor results with the Kings. Spencer terminated the contract last Wednesday because of longstanding problems with his wages being paid and engaged a South African law firm to sort the matter out.
“It’s been happening since before Christmas last year – there comes a time when you’ve had enough,” said Jones.
“At some point you have to lance the boil. He is owed a substantial amount of money and has had to constantly chase them for arrears. The player payments have been in arrears also.
“Cheeky Watson (EP rugby president) made a promise last Wednesday the players would be paid and they weren’t. There has been a series of broken promises.
“Carlos didn’t want to terminate until he had a replacement job, but he reached the end of his tether.
“I know he would love to come back to New Zealand. It is his favoured option. And he really wants to help restore the Blues credibility.”
Jones said Spencer had initiated reverting to a more “hands on” role as skills coach with the Kings 2 months ago and felt “defamed” by negative inferences that they had pushed him out of the head coaching job.
In his application to the Blues, Spencer wrote: “I believe my long history with the Blues along with my coaching experience gives me the right pedigree. I know what it takes to pull a group of individuals together and get the most out of them.”
Spencer played for the Johannesburg Lions and held coaching roles with them and the Sharks before joining Eastern Province – an area noted for the involvement of black and coloured players – in 2013. He coached their fledgling Currie Cup side and was appointed head coach of the Kings in February, then shifted to an attack / skills role under Brent Janse van Rensburg.
New Zealand Herald
In 2012 and even before the Lions were so unscrupulously worked out of Super Rugby for 2013, the signs were already there and the warnings by a number of us, that the Kings or Southern Kings recipy, as led by Watson snr… was a powder keg waiting to explode.
Now bear in mind that it is only 3 short years since the Lions were so rudely stabbed in the back and the financial mess at the Kings & Southern Kings has resulted in this specific scenario!
On the other hand, one can argue with a lot of merit that the Lions relegation from Super Rugby for 1 season was exactly the right medicine they needed, to change their ways totally and pull things together… this season ending 2nd in the South African Super Rugby Conference, having the most united team of players, playing a damn exciting brand of bloody good rugby…. and having the fittest and best conditioned rugby players out of all the SA franchises!
The rise of the Lions from those ashes has absolutely nothing to do with SARU and / or was not aided by SARU in any manner whatsoever… the Lions stood up by themselves!
Now just what do we expect SARU to do in this Kings saga?
Do we want them to leave the Kings alone to sort their own mess out?
Are the Kings (with current leadership in mind) even capable of standing up by themselves?
Do we need SARU to give the Kings a hand-out?
My answer is rather simple… if there is indeed enough of a rugby culture in the Eastern Cape, to warrant a Southern Kings Super Rugby franchise… then the Southern Kings must be left to their own devices to survive… like the Lions had to.
If they cannot survive, if they are not competative… then throw them to the wolves and hammer SA back to only 5 Super Rugby franchises and give that 1 extra Super Rugby franchise to a more deserving entity in the world, something like a combined Islands team… from Tonga, Fiji & Samoa.
Corruption in anything is wrong… and to assist the Kings with their self-associated corrupt President would just mean giving a silent thumbs up to let corruption and bad administration continue!
Let them soak in their own shit, I say!
Go look at the topic of discussion on Rugby-Talk on 8 May 2012, here’s the link: Agendas & shenanigans – Keo + the Lions + the Kings + Joffers + SARU… and more agendas!
@ grootblousmile:
An excellent post which has my full support.
En dis wat ek destyds daaroor te se gehad het….en ek hou daarby:
46
Pietman on 9 May 2012 at 17:19 SAST
I don’t know much, if anything, about this debacle unfolding down in the EC, so I will keep my eyes pierced for any news from PissAnt and TonyM.
They are the boytjies ‘in the know’ here.
But what I DO know is that Mr. Cheeky Watson announced some two years ago, when he became President or something down there, that he was “proud to be involved with South Africa’s first ‘black rugby franchise’”.
That statement I remember as clearly as if he had said it five minutes ago.
What happened to that, where are the Kings’ black stakeholders and players?
Or am I missing something here?
En dis wat ek destyds daaroor te se gehad het….en ek hou daarby:
46
Pietman on 9 May 2012 at 17:19 SAST
I don’t know much, if anything, about this debacle unfolding down in the EC, so I will keep my eyes pierced for any news from PissAnt and TonyM.
They are the boytjies ‘in the know’ here.
But what I DO know is that Mr. Cheeky Watson announced some two years ago, when he became President or something down there, that he was “proud to be involved with South Africa’s first ‘black rugby franchise’”.
That statement I remember as clearly as if he had said it five minutes ago.
What happened to all that, where are the Kings’ black stakeholders and players?
Or am I missing something here?
Se ek dit sommer weer! Net om seker te maak Blommiebul sien dit.
3 @ Pietman:
You read what Carlos Spencer thinks about Cheeky’s promises… and that he does not keep his promises!
The bus he climbed on was the Transformation bus when they started out, but actually in real life, that bus was the party bus, the self-enrichment bus, the Watson bus…
He’s no more inclined to make good on his promises on a black rugby franchise than he was last week Wednesday to make good on Carlos & the Players’ pay, simple as that!
Got to run, back later…
7 @ BrumbiesBoy:
Don’t run too fast… at your advanced age you’ll catch a speed wobble…
@ grootblousmile:
…kannie glo my ou bruvva het so kleigetrap nie.
Ek glo fokkol wat Cheeky se! En Luke pay R3m per jaar vir le en dik raak en kinders maak in die Baai….
Ek hoop Carlos se prokurowers trek hulle hele spul kaalgat uit.
En Hennie le Roux met SARPU moet ook inklim n slag en die spelers se geld uit daai twee dik Watsons wurg.
Die regering en SARU moet hulle maar uithelp….ek glo Blommiebul sal ook n bydrae maak! Lees al die twak wat hy destyds geskryf het by jou artikel
9 @ Pietman:
Ek glo hom ookie eers so vêr as wat ek hom kan gooi nie.
En sy dik lyf sal ek nie verder kan gooi as my eie voete nie… nog binne genoeg afstand om hom goed raak te skop!
@ grootblousmile:
Danie Gerber vertel van sy onderhoud met Cheeky, toe hy en James Stofberg van die Pumas saam Baai toe is om die moontlikheid van afrigting by die Kings te bespreek. Cheeky het op n vraag van Danie glo erg driftig geraak op n kol en selfs so ver gegaan om te se dat as hy nie sy woord teenoor Danie en James gestand doen nie, sal hy “sy Bybel in die see gooi”…
Binne n maand was Danie-hulle vort, geen kontrak, geen niks van die onderhandelings gekom.
Gaan lees gerus die storie in die argiewe van Die Burger en Rapport. Danie het nie doekies omgedraai nie!
11 @ Pietman:
Sorry, was gou besig met veranderinge aan die Springbokspan artikel, want JP Pietersen is genadiglik uit die Toets uit met ‘n hamstring besering, en vervang deur Cornal Hendricks… met Lionel Mapoe op die bank!
Ja, ou Danie Gerber is nou self nie juis ‘n breinchirurg nie, maar damn wat ‘n wonderlike senter was hy nie! Danie is Dispatch slim…. hehehe
Gepraat van “transformasie”, kyk nou weer hierdie briljante verklaring:
Cape Town – Cosatu is not encouraged to support the “all white” Springbok team announced to take on the All Blacks on Saturday, provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said on Wednesday.
The trade union federation in a statement condemned the selections, which sees four black and coloured players in the starting line-up to take to the field at Emirates Airlines Park in Johannesburg……”
News24, vandag.
@ grootblousmile:
Het gesien JPP is uit, maar wat het van Mvovo geword?
Hello Jinx!
13 @ Pietman:
Eish…. daai Tony Ehrenreich is ‘n venynige, vieslike, agterbakse fokker!
Ja, ek sien Jinx v2 is hier…
Come chat to us, friend!
grootblousmile wrote:
Wag tot die De Kuilen Hotel se bar toemaak en Marius Fransman ook oppie wa klim….net so n gomgat
14 @ Pietman:
Nee, die Volvo is nog daar in die groter groep… ek dink Lionel Mapoe word gekies omdat hy meer posisies kan speel.
18 @ Pietman:
Ja, vir daai 2 kan hulle maar gerus aanhoudend in die neute bly skop!
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