The South African Rugby Union’s head honchos will come face-to-face with the ‘big five’ at a crucial meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The SARU delegation, headed by CEO Jurie Roux, will meet with officials of the five current SA franchises – Lions, Bulls, Cheetahs, Sharks and Stormers.
Central to the meeting is the SARU decision to “guarantee” the Southern Kings a spot in the 2013 Super Rugby competition and the big five’s counter in the form of a strongly worded letter to SARU President Oregan Hoskins.
Although SARU on Wednesday suggested the meeting is “part of the on-going discussion”, it is in fact a meeting arranged at the request of the five current Super Rugby franchises.
The national body said a decision on the mechanism by which South Africa’s entrants in Super Rugby in 2013 would be identified was postponed until the Annual General Meeting of SARU on March 31 – to allow time for further discussions with SANZAR.
However, SANZAR boss Greg Peters has again made his organisations’s position on the matter clear – there will be five franchises in each conference until the current contract expires in 2015.
And with the big five insisting that they all compete next year, it means SARU finds itself in a catch-22 situation.
In a recent statement SARU denied that the big five threatened to boycott the competition next year.
However, the letter from the franchises to the union made it clear that:
- None of the existing franchises shall be prejudiced by such inclusion in any way whatsoever;
- None of the existing franchises shall be eliminated from the tournament in 2013 or at any stage thereafter as a result of the inclusion of the Kings;
- SARU, as custodian of the South African leg of the tournament, will ensure that the Kings are included without prejudice to any of the existing franchises.
The Kings have, as expected, also dug their heels in and insisted it is their turn to dine at the Super Rugby table.
Eastern Province Kings President Cheeky Watson says it is not their problem about how SARU plans to accommodate the big five next year.
“All I know is that SARU has already decided that we [the Kings] will play in the Super Rugby series next year,” Watson told Die Burger newspaper.
“We are very grateful for that. We fought long for it. It’s not in our hands who the other teams are that will participate in the Super Rugby series.
“It’s SARU and the other SA franchises’ problem,” said Watson.
Hope the Big Five make a full fist of it and sends SARU’s circus in their moer!
1@ grootblousmile:
Well I tell you what, Kevin de Klerk has a FOOKIN big fist.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall in this meeting!!!
The Kings’ strongest team didn’t even have a lot of black players. It’s an absolute joke making a political move to get into a competition and not even fielding a transformed team. Transformation will happen when SARU invests more in black rugby at grassroots. Get kids in SOWETO to rather play rugby, and make rugby open to the masses. Get them to show rugby on SABC which most of the population has.
Same old problem SARU and dickheads like Watson trying to throw their weight about. The best teams must play finish and klaar. But we have been down this road before, the fans will moan but will still switch on the tv and go to the games. Unless the fans hit them in the back pocket they will continue to use unfair tactics to show the rugby fans who is boss. Paternalistic pr*cks. As for Cheeky Watson…what a come down from the lofty days of standing up for what was right…now in it for the money and the political capital….shame on you cheeky your place in history is assured as a guy who almost got it right but ended up being an ar*ehole in the end. The mind boggles and the world laughs…because they know the Boks will be easy meat fo as long as these inept administrators are running things.
@ 4man:
Howzit Sammajoor!
Just saw it now on Sport24 that a delegation SARU/Big Five/Cheeky are headed Down Under in an attempt to convince the Antipodians to allow the Kings as a 6th team next year.
They had better abort mission now, if you asked me, or go make arses of themselves.
It’s waste of time and money, the Sanzar contracts with the media moguls can only be reviewed in 2015 in order to allow for six SA teams. Unless, of course,they relegate one of the Big Five to allow for Cheeky’s outfit.
Honest question: Can someone please explain to me in simple English WHY the Southern Spears HAS to enter the competition NOW, on what grounds?
Why not N.Boland/Namakwaland/Hantam/N.Cape,for that matter?
Howzit Pieta….There is no reason on earth that the Spears should be included at the expense of another. they must play better and get into the top 5 as it is at present. I also agree that all the tv contracts etc are set up til 2015…this is just a jol at rugby’s expense for these idiots to go and make fools of themselves. My friend is embroiled in a debacle with Natal Athletics right now, he was the treasurer and exposed big time fraud….can’t believe whats going on, they are threatening his family and all kinds of things. He brought the HAWKs in and has also laid a civil suit against the Chairman for calling him a racist. The people in PMB are up in arms. The whole of Natal has called for the resignation of the Chairman til the fraud investigation is over. Not a damn he is just denying everything and will be going on an expensive overseas trip. All our sport is moer toe.
Hau ! Nee o hel Sarge, dis darem n gemors, sportadministrasie in SA.
(PietVrou stuur groetnis, sy vra wanneer klap ons weer n paar ‘pearly lemons’ en Riesling saam.)
@ Pietman:
Dit gaan nie die jaar wees nie….ons tabel is vol. Maar ons sal weer n plan maak. Se ek stuur ook groetnis en ons sien uit na die vogende beymekaar koms.
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