Following the article that appeared in the Rapport this morning, which states that SA Rugby have dismissed the Southern Kings request to field more than two foreign players, President Cheeky Watson stated the following.
“The Southern Kings have not received any official confirmation from SA Rugby on this matter as yet, but we have no reason to disbelieve the report.” (An official decision from SARU is expected on Monday)
“If this is the case, we will accept and abide by the decision of SA Rugby. We know that the region has never been fed with a silver spoon, and have no reason to expect any different going into our debut Super Rugby Season.”
“The path for this region to get a Super Rugby franchise has been fraught with challenges, and yet, despite all the odds, we have overcome them and Super Rugby is a reality, with our first game against Western Force less than a month away.”
“We accept that this opportunity comes from a loaded deck of cards, but the bigger the challenge, the bigger the task, the bigger the team and the overall success.”
“We will not be releasing any of our foreign players, however, as there are still ample opportunities within our structures for them to contribute.”
The Rapport report by Rudolph Lake also went on to question:
- the ‘lily white’ team fielded by the EP Kings in last year’s First League semi-final,
- SARU’s granting of the Southern Kings a chance to play Super Rugby on the basis of transformation and
- the employing of New Zealand citizens, MAtt Sexton and Brad Moar as coaches.
Watson was silent on the three points above.
The Southern Kings play their first game against the Western Force on 23 February in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
