Cheeky Watson
EP Kings players and the union’s management are again at loggerheads over apparent delays in player payments.
The cash-strapped union was unable to pay players for several months earlier in the season, but the issue was thought to be resolved last month when EP president Cheeky Watson announced that the players were compensated up until the end of July.
However, similar issues appear to have risen again with regards to August’s salaries, and according to CEO Charl Crous they are working at “resolving the matter”.
There is believed to be a threat of a player strike, although Crous said he received no communication in that regard.
The EP Kings are currently struggling in the Currie Cup Premier Division, having lost their 1st 4 matches in this year’s competition.
Their next assignment is against the Xerox Golden Lions at Emirates Airline Park this Saturday (19:10 SA Time kick-off).
Sport24
@ grootblousmile:
I’ve ordered some Brumbies condoms.
You know the saying “hung like a horse”…
31 @ BrumbiesBoy:
What you going to do with them?
Wear them as garden gloves?
@ grootblousmile:
Haha.. and here I was thinking you’re not one for sarcasm.
Gues I was wrong…I’ve now been called “a fool/stupid”…”cannot afford ZANTAC” (too poor)… don’t know the the difference of not living, (ie living on) “hand-outs”.
33 @ Nama:
It’s not sarcasm, it’s a direct statement.
Go look at Comment #23 to see who made the first general insults, Mr Dumb & Dumber…. yeah that’s what you said!
Pity you cannot tolerate diverse opinions, GBS.
A real pity.
We’ll agree on many things, because of the kind of people we are and the era that we grew up in. But we’ll also disagree on a lot of things because of our background.
That’s why it is such a pity that you should always play the man, and not the ball, when we differ in our opinions.
I guess, that’s just the way you are. (No reference to Billy Joel.)
35 @ Nama:
So, you always play the ball?
Pull the other one!
I do not care for ignorant opinion, that is all!
@ grootblousmile:
No, no, no…that statement comes from what you’ve said in the last few days about me, and others, who does not agree with you and your views..
37 @ Nama:
If the shoe fits….
@ grootblousmile:
What do you mean, “you always play the ball?
Do I take the piss sometimes with you Meyerites (and Bulls supporters)? …of course!
Am I sometimes serious in my criticism of the fool that is HM?…of course!
Do I support the Bokke?…of course!
Problem with a guy like you…you can never see the difference because you have a preconceived idea of me, and dare I say, many others. So, you are on ‘the defence’ any/every time you see a name that does not hold the same view that you do.
@ grootblousmile:
That’s a cop out. I can also say some stuff about you and when you confront me with it, I can just respond and say, “if the shoe fits”
Daai tyd is lankal verby waar mense jou laat glo het jy’s te lelik of te dom om iets te verstaan…1980/90…of daar rond. Kan nie meer onthou nie.
My idea of you is manifested by what you portray of yourself, no more, no less!
Your idea of the Bulls… pfffrttt… like water off a duck’s back, I take it from whence it comes.
You have a chip on the shoulder, simple as that.
@ grootblousmile:
See, again you rather concentrate on the person rather that the issue.
Well, my idea of you…you have an bloated ego, simple as that.
42 @ Nama:
OK, so it’s Mr Ego & Mr Chippie…
I have a bed calling.
I’m outta here!
…and I’m not sure you have achieved as much as your ego would suggest.
Probaly in the same mold as Mark Andrews described his best and his worst coach.
“Nick Mallett at the beginning and Nick Mallett at the end. At the end his ego entered the room a few seconds before him.”
@ grootblousmile:
Good one.
Slaap lekker.
In 2012 the Otago Rugby Union was essentially bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the Dunedin Council, BNZ & NZRU.
In 2015, in its SR guise as the Highlanders, they were crowned SR transformation.
Talking about transformation, now THAT was an amazing TRANSFORMATION.
Hats off to NZ, showing SA the way to solutions.
Adversity often plants the seeds prosperity.
Look at the SR history of the Lions which is also a story of abject failure turned into spectacular success similar to Otago/Highlanders but not (yet?) quite as spectacular.
I have no inside knowledge, but I suspect that had the Kings been granted at least 2 years in SR to establish themselves (& not just 1), & had they been able to retain the hosting of the SA leg of the World Sevens competition, that they would likely have been a financial success (and that it would probably have been the Golden Lions/Lions that would’ve been down the drain.
In 2013 the Kings made me proud – not so in 2014/15. But on a line through Otago & the Lions, there is no reason why this Union/Franchise cannot also be successful.
Unlike most white South Africans, including most bloggers in this chat room, I wish them well.
IMO the viability/future success of the Kings is very important to SA rugby.
erratum
crowned SR transformation = crowned SR Champions
46 @ Angostura:
Yep there are examples of Unions turning around. I don’t have any affection towards Watson (Even though there is a preset criteria based on the team I support 🙄 ), the first step in the right direction now is probably a change in the boardroom.
@ MacroPolo:
As a Lions supporter bitterly dissapointed at the way the Kings got into SR at the expense of “my” team, and an avid hater of them in their first season, I completely turned around in my opinion at the end of that season.
My beef is not with the Kings per say, but with SARU and Cheeky.
When I look at the whole Kings area at junior level, U13 Craven Week, U16 Grant Khomo Week, and U18 craven week, all three of their franchise partners field teams that are totally in line with the demographics of the country, and almost without exception, those teams play succesfull, attractive Rugby.
What happens to those players?
If the Cheeky, and SARU actually gave a tinkers cuss’ about the Kings future, they would have put the checks and balances in place to make sure those players don’t ALL get poached or drop out of Rugby.
SARU would also make sure that the administration of the Bulldogs, Eagles and (EP) Kings is such that the corruption, nepotism and fraud comes to an end in order to take Eastern Cape Rugby forward.
I believe that the region does indeed have the home grown talent capable of enabling the Kings to field a full “team of colour” in a competition like the Currie Cup, it’s just a pity that the vision is not being bought to fruition by those at SARU and the opinionated prat that runs the Kings.
Less words and more actions are needed.
48 @ MacroPolo:
The problem is that a change in the boardroom is rarely quick or easy.
At the Lions it took us nearly 3 years to get a change of President. Late night meetings in secret locations. Negotiations with lawyers. Lobbying. Fighting, And EVENTUALLY a change in the Union’s constitution and an Extraordinary General Meeting.
Kevin de Klerk was elected on 29 July 2009.
It took the Union another 5 years and lots of cuts and austerity to start seeing the effects of that change.
I think that the state of matters in the EC is probably a lot more dire than it was at the Lions, so no matter what, unless a major shake up and massive cash injection happens, it will be a long time before there is meaningfull progress in PE.
50 @ Scrumdown:
Need to get the ball rolling somehow, something has to change, the Kings also have to supply four teams for the currie cup next year (u19, u20, u21 and senior – Currie Cup), which will increase the burden on their shoulders.
I wonder what the demographics are of rugby players joining rugby academies after school? What happens to players of colour is questionable over all of our provinces, or maybe the problem is, that as soon as a player is tagged as a quota, that seems to follow him around and they do not get all the chances they deserve because “they were never the best to begin with”.
My question about the rugby academies is based on, how many boys leaving school can afford to still “chase the dream” without a contract?
@ MacroPolo:
rugby akademies is totaal over rated,meeste van daai spelers betaal self om daar te wees,die sharks akademie kos jou vandag 80 000 pj en n b com graad by kovsies 26000 pe jaar,ek pers dink die varsity cup roete is n baie beter plan as die akademies
@ smallies:
Lions se akademie is UJ.
Akademie lede moet geregistreede studente wees, moet klasse bywoon en moet n spesifieke slaagsyfer haal anders word hulle kontrakte gekanselleer.
Uit die 600+ craven week en akademie week spelers die jaar is 165 geteken aan verskeie unies volgende jaar, waarvan omtrent 24 spelers nie craven week of akademie week gespeel het nie…hoekom is daai spelers nie by die craven week nie?
@ smallies:
Akademies bied wel n nuwe pad vir mense wat die geld het, en die talentvolle spelers wat nie by n top20 skool was nie het nie n kans nie… Dis daai ouens en net hulle wat rugby kan transformeer.
grootblousmile wrote:
Nee, kuk man!
Hulle het so al ‘n klein “stertjie” op die punt om haar lekker warm te maak!!!
@ Scrumdown:
And we had to contend with a lot fall out from the previous management.
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