Oregan Hoskins

In a statement issued on Thursday SARU said the investigator’s role will be to inquire into claims that attempts were made to influence the outcome of club league matches, as well as and any other matters that may arise out of the investigation.

“Allegations that the results of matches may have been fixed – or that an attempt was made to rig results – are very serious indeed, no matter at what level of the game,” said SARU President Oregan Hoskins.

“Rugby is built on the ethos of a fair contest and it is repugnant to our game to think that that might not be the case. Allegations have been sent to us relating to this offence and we have now appointed an independent attorney to look into them.”

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Hoskins said that no charges had been brought against any individuals.

“The investigating officer’s role in the first instance will be to determine the merits of the evidence and present that to the CEO for possible action.”

“At this stage it is difficult to say how long the investigation is likely to take but these are serious charges and they urgently need resolving.”

According to a report in the Afrikaans daily newspaper, Die Burger, a Boland referee, Joseph Baadjies, accused the new President of the Boland Rugby Union, Ivan Pekeur, of trying to influence the results of club matches in the province.

Baadjies, who apparently is a lower-league referee, was convinced that Pekeur had tried to influence matches and said there were six referees who had been instructed to influence the results of matches and would support Baadjies’s assertion, a claim that is under doubt.

Baadjies claims that on August 5 he wrote to the secretary of Boland referees Kobus Vergotine about an instruction from Pekeur that Baadjies was not to referee until he had been in contact with Pekeur.

When he received no answer from the Boland executive Baadjies decided to take the matter further.

He reported the matter to SARU and to the police.

Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed that a case of corruption was being investigated by the Wellington police.

Earlier this year the president of the union, Francois Davids, resigned after being elected to the SARU executive, and Pekeur was elected president at a special general meeting in June for a term that would end at the union’s election in February 2015.

Pekeur was born in Montagu, played for Montagu Villagers and later was the club’s chairman. After his playing days he took up refereeing and after a stint as principal of Ashton Senior Secondary he moved into administration at the union, first as referees’ manager and then managing club rugby in the Boland.