Unions gang up on Spears
3 Feb 2006
Southern Spears coach Peter de Villiers is set to clash with the region’s feeder unions.
De Villiers wants the Spears squad to stay together before taking on Kenya at the end of the month. However, Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Border want their players back for the Vodacom Cup.
“I don’t think it will be rewarding for unions or the Spears if we released the players,” De Villiers told Die Burger. “The Spears are playing Kenya soon and I want to practice our game plan before then. How will it help the Spears players to go back to their unions for a short time and play a different game plan? I hope the unions can use the Vodacom Cup to develop more players in the region.”
EP coach Oersond Gorgonzola has already said that he wants to use tighthead prop Brood van der Westhuizen and lock Hein Potgieter for his side’s first Vodacom Cup match against Western Province in PE next Friday.
Meanwhile, Saru president Brian van Rooyen says it would be “immoral” for SA Rugby’s board of directors to overturn their decision to include the Spears in next year’s Super 14.
“It would be a sad day if we went back on our word,” he told the Cape Times. “Everybody agreed the Spears would be entrenched for two years. The Spears don’t even have any contracted players, so you can’t measure them against any other team. Of course they are going to take a pounding. They must be given a fair chance to get the players they need.”
30 Comments
3 Feb 2006, 08:03 am
A tighthead prop at lock ?? — is there no depth in EP? — WHAT NEXT, a scrumhalf to play prop? because he weighs 110kg
3 Feb 2006, 08:09 am
Hulle kan maar net sowel die hele spul ontbind. Hierdie Spears is doodgebore.
3 Feb 2006, 08:13 am
I do not think you can really blame the big 5 unions for not being too enamoured with the idea of possibly being relegated for coming last in the S14 this year. Firstly, their livelihoods are threatened and secondly they pretty much had the whole relegation issue forced on them when the politicians demanded presentations from each of the big 5 to justify their getting a S14 franchise for 2006.It was more or less go along with the relegation scheme or you might not even get a 2006 S14 franchise. The whole thing had political motives and undertones and nothing to do with rugby. Just remember a certain Garth Wright whining on about how the Eastern Cape was at the forefront of rugby development and transformation in SA etc.
Obviously the Cheetahs deserve their place in the S14, even without their curry cup win it was clear that on rugby grounds there is merit in their inclusion in S14 2006 – good luck Cheetahs. Is there merit in the Spears inclusion at the expense of one of the established S14 franchises? On pure rugby grounds I do not believe this is the case. I do not believe they have the players, the infrastructure the supporters or the financial backing to be a success in the S14. This may be a bitter pill to swallow for many rugby fans in the Eastern Cape, but I believe it is the truth.
Having said all that, I personally think that the relegation system should be implemented as planned and that there should be no play-off between the team finishing last and the Spears. I do not believe the Spears would have a hope of beating a team that had come through a S14, even the bottom finishing side.
As a loyal and faithfull Sharks supporter I can think of nothing worse than my beloved Sharks being relegated out of the S14 and having no team to support in 2007. But will this be the end of the world? I think not. What I do think is that it is going to light a fire under the arses of every player and official involved in Sharks rugby and the days of simply turning up at the stadium and getting beaten will be a thing of the past. I am sure we will see a return of the spirit and determination that was so evident in the days of Mark Andrews, Teich and Lem. For too long now the big wigs at Kings Park have gone about business as usual, drawing their fat salaries irrespective of results. If relegation has the effect of changing this mind-set then I am all for it, painfull as it will inevitably be. And here I am not only talking from a Sharks perspective, I think this can be applied equally to our two other under-achieving franchises, the Cats and the Stormers.
I do believe however that some fairly clever and strict rules regarding poaching of players from the relegated team will have to be put into place, otherwise I fear the rule of unintended consequences will come into play, namely the players simply packing their bags and signing for the Spears and possibly the other franchises, which will be contrary to the intention of the whole plan, namely development of rugby outside of the big 5.
I also believe the whole relegation thing has added a lot of spark to the 2006 compo which I feel has been a bit lacking of late. So, if it is the Sharks that take the plunge I will not be a happy camper, but at the same time they just might emerge a hungrier and more focussed team than before.
Sorry for the verbal diarrhoea, but this is my first post of 2006 after battling to register – thanks for the help Ig.
Cheers
3 Feb 2006, 08:20 am
jonnow,
i agree to an extend – but then the unions should never have agreed to this in the first place – it all smacks of the same political bullshit we have become used too from within our rugby.
on the unions…
who in the hell is gorgonzola – sounds like a bloody argnetinian football player..
brood vd westhuizen???? surely it cant be……
3 Feb 2006, 08:24 am
My brother with a piss.
Gorgonzola – strong blue cheese. Is this the cheesy character in EP.
Their whole setup sounds more like a smorgasbord than a rugby team:
The asparagus spears
Gorgonzola
Brood
3 Feb 2006, 08:33 am
my brother with a number (thank god you did not go for the number 224)
it all makes sense now, thanks!
cheese needs bread.
the spears are being attacked form all fronts, big 5 unions and their own feeder unions.
tough one this. the feeder unions need to do well to qualify for the CC – again everyone looking out for themselves.
3 Feb 2006, 08:46 am
Pissant, what is wrong with 224?
3 Feb 2006, 08:46 am
This team is doomed to failure.
In the states, nba for example, they expand franchises every couple of years. They ensure that the franchise has a couple of big names to attract the crowds, make sure they get support in terms of game time etc, and let them out into the league. The new franchises generally get their butts kicked for at least the first two years before they can build a truly competitive side. However, once the team is running competitively, the payback is enormous.
This is what professional sports is all about – building new franchises and making money. With the spears getting nailed from all sides, they will never reach their potential, the region will stagnate again, players and supporters will lose interest and SARU will have lost a golden opportunity to strengthen South African rugby both through its player base and supporters.
But a lot of people within South African rugby seem to want this anyway, so I’m sure this will make them very happy.
3 Feb 2006, 08:51 am
kietie,
when i lived in pta that damn radio add about the 224 pissed me off.
milkman – agree
3 Feb 2006, 08:53 am
Where is the money coming from to contract, by the looks of things, 8 players from the ‘outgoing’ franchise?
3 Feb 2006, 09:02 am
Eish you got to feel for the Spears – There only feeders are agaiinst them…..SARU needs to sort this out urgently or they gonna be dead within a year….or going backwards very fast !
3 Feb 2006, 09:16 am
Doom, doom, doom.
The Spears have just played 3 Super14 teams in 3 consecutive weeks after having been together for just a smattering of weeks.
The Spears boast no Springboks or even any top-level currie-cup players (yet!) and the 3 Super14 teams they played against boasted a collective 31 Boks between them not to mention currie-cup warhorses.
And still the Spears were able to give them a hard time! Not bad so far … bring in a few old hands, give them until 2009 to prepare, and then we’ll see what happens.
3 Feb 2006, 09:29 am
right you are surfbok.
look at the hiding the blues dished out to the force of Oz.
they are not as bad as people make them out to be.
and the force has some Oz internationals in their team…..
3 Feb 2006, 09:37 am
Simon
Not really the full story this, is it?
Don’t the top Vodacom finishers then qualify for the CC?
Of course they want their best players back?
3 Feb 2006, 10:22 am
If I win the Euromillions tonight I’m going to Roman Abramovich the Spears…..Buy the feeder unions, fire all the administrators and get the Spearleaders to come live in my new palace.
3 Feb 2006, 10:27 am
Simon, some more information please. Who is the board of directors of SA Rugby that took the decision to implement relegation? Is it comprised of all 14 union presidents, and was the vote unanimous, or did the smaller unions side with van Rooyen to ensure it passed?
3 Feb 2006, 10:33 am
It seems like this Keo site has become a site for everybody who is anti Spears. Rugga World at least has show support to the Spears. Spears supporters, go to
3 Feb 2006, 10:44 am
“Oersond Gorgonzola” – is that a real person?
3 Feb 2006, 12:07 pm
Firefly…get a bloody life you sad twat.
As I understand it…the top Vodacom finishers qualify for the CC.Except…of course,yes, you guessed right….the Spears.
The smaller unions need to qualify, of course they want to use their best players.
3 Feb 2006, 12:19 pm
StP
Phew…
The Spears as well as the Top 5 Unions qualify automatically.
3 Feb 2006, 12:28 pm
R-1, tell you what I’ll go buy a ticket at lunchtime, and do the same if I win. I always fancied living in J-Bay again.
But which player to sign first???
3 Feb 2006, 12:43 pm
How many CC’s have the Spears won Kandas?
It’s comedy at it’s very best.That you are so arrogant to class yourselves in the same league as the Big 5 unions.
Their S14 results may well be **** but they have all been CC winners at some time.
Less talk pal…..more results.
3 Feb 2006, 13:05 pm
whatever…
3 Feb 2006, 14:07 pm
Spears 22
Kenya 33
3 Feb 2006, 14:08 pm
I would be embarassing for SA Rugby if Kenya win
3 Feb 2006, 16:13 pm
These Southern Spares are just going to be a further disgrace to SA Rugby. I wonder what Doc Craven would have thought of all of this.
3 Feb 2006, 17:40 pm
HKGK,
Doc Craven would of put his dog , Bliksem on them.
Apparently Bliksem was a feisty bugger.
4 Feb 2006, 14:32 pm
Well, I didn’t the Euromillions…the Spearleaders will be crushed.
4 Feb 2006, 16:13 pm
From my vantage point that`s about all the spears have got . . . SPEARLEADERS !
5 Feb 2006, 01:53 am
“EP coach Oersond Gorgonzola has already said that he wants to use tighthead prop Brood van der Westhuizen …”
Jeez! Who the hell thinks up names like this? can a Chihuahua Vleeswond and a Vetkoek van Wyk be far behind?
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