Maks van Dyk

The Eastern Province Kings’ stuttering build-up to the Currie Cup season had another wobble on Tuesday.

Despite the players’ outstanding salaries having been paid last week, prop Nicolaas ‘Maks’ van Dyk has abruptly ended his short stint in Port Elizabeth and headed back to Bloemfontein.

In a statement on Tuesday Eastern Province Rugby Union President Cheeky Watson confirmed the union and Van Dyk have mutually agreed to part ways.

The front row forward has decided to rejoin the Cheetahs ahead of the Currie Cup season.

The player’s departure comes just days before the Kings host the Golden Lions, 1 of the pre-tournament favourites, in the opening Round of the Currie Cup competition in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

“Maks has indicated that he would like to return to the Free State, where he has been offered a position with the Cheetahs and we have agreed to release him from his contract in order for him to do so,” Watson said in a statement.

It follows in the wake of a recent cash crisis, which almost resulted in a mass exodus of top players from the union.

Watson, late last week, managed to secure enough money to pay all the outstanding salaries.

There was even a suggestion that the South African Rugby Union would step in and place the struggling outfit under administration.

It is an alarming state of affairs at a union which still has no sponsor, barely 6 months out from its re-entry into Super Rugby in 2016.

Watson also announced that the Kings had extended the contract of prop Lizo Gqoboka, who has signed an extension to his contract until October 2018.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Lizo is a future Springbok and it means a great deal to us that he has chosen to extend his stay with the Kings,” said Watson.

The Kings boss also confirmed that Elgar Watts, who joined the team in June for trials, has signed a multi year deal with the Kings.

“We can also confirm that Elgar has signed with the Kings until October 2017,” he said.

However, the contract extensions of some players have done little to allay fears that the crisis in PE has only been temporarily averted, as there is still no news of the promised “massive” sponsorship Watson claimed was eminent when the salary issue 1st hit the headlines.

“What I find amazing and disturbing is that there is so much negativity around something so positive, and that it is possibly the biggest sponsorship-partnership for any franchise this country has ever seen,” Watson said when the salary saga 1st became public news.

“I can give you the absolute assurance that it is still very much on track, and the launch of the sponsorship and the value is imminent,” he said.

SARU have so far remained mum on the matter.

“It is not our place to comment on the affairs of member unions other than to say we obviously follow all their activities very closely,” SARU Chief Executive Jurie Roux told the media when the matter 1st came to light.

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