Spears spirit finally broken
5 Jun 2006
Spears CEO Tony McKeever may have won a salary reprieve but the Spears won’t be breathing in this year’s Absa Currie Cup.
The South African Rugby Union finally sent out a final fixture list for 2006 and it is Griquas who feature in the Currie Cup and not the Spears. Despite McKeever’s Winston Churchill-like bravado that he would fight SARU on just about every surface, it would appear that paying the hapless CEO a monthly wage is all it took to suffocate the fighting talk.
The Sharks host the Lions in the first round of matches on June 23 and the following day Free State’s Cheetahs play Griquas, Western Province travel to Witbank and the Bulls are at home to the Falcons.
60 Comments
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6 Jun 2006, 13:03 pm
wpw is a JA-BROER!!!
6 Jun 2006, 13:28 pm
sharksfan; I’m still in the dark about this “good governance” nonsense;
the bottom line is that is the sweep up excuse that is pointed – and I guarantee it’s **** and without foundation
6 Jun 2006, 14:49 pm
Sharksfan
Last week Basil Haddad Acting CEO and Financial Director of SA Rugby admitted that all the Spears expenditure of R6m made by SA Rugby is all factual, accurate and accounted for.
There is no financial mismanagement or bad corporate governance, much as this is the siren call by nay sayers, using the boogie man – mismanagement.
The auditors of the Spears have even declared that the Spears are “operating well within the limits of their budget”.
The trouble I see here is that SA Rugby never raised the sponsors for the Spears that they said they would procure and are now having to eat this expense. They knoew all about this 12 months ago and there is no use trying to shift the blame and run smear campaigns on McKeever. It just won’t work.
Use the Western Force as an example or parallel and how they got assisted by the ARU with A$20m!
SA Rugby cannot fool all the people all the time and the comments above show just how SA Rugby has suckered them.
Raving bloody lunatics the lot of them………. mumble mumble
6 Jun 2006, 18:36 pm
“Rugby365.com can reveal that the financial dilemma of the Spears is the result of McKeever’s outrageous financial demands – or as once source said: “He literally priced his team out of the market.”
And his battles with SA Rugby/SARU are not McKeever’s only financial headaches. He is indebted to 365 Digital Publishing (Pty) Ltd – the owners of Rugby365 – by a substantial amount. A summons for outstanding payment has been issued by 365′s lawyers to McKeever for services rendered and default judgment has been requested.
The latest revelations come after reports that the Spears CEO threatened to take legal action against SA Rugby if it did not pay certain outstanding Spears salaries by the close of business on Wednesday.”
“Prinsloo said that the R12-million McKeever is demanding is based on a budget handed in when the Spears originally made bid to become SA’s fifth franchise – a bid that was kicked into touch when the franchise was awarded to the Cheetahs (who presented a far more viable bid).
Prinsloo also felt that flying in teams – such as Kenya and Namibia, at great expense – is what has caused the financial dilemma.
“The Spears could have survived on the R3-million budget during their initial period if they managed it properly,” Prinsloo said.”
Haymaker, jb, St Petersburgbok et al – comments please…
7 Jun 2006, 07:08 am
Quite easy.
What then happened to the Agentinian, Samoan, Maori and Tonga teams that SA Rugby PROMISED the Spears to play?
Nada my dear black & white friend.
Why then is it easy for SA Rugby to fly other teams around and insist that the Spears play the Cheethas Cats & Stormers, filed a team and then what?
The Spears built relationships with Kenya and Namibia and SA Rugby endorded this openly.
Why not get this site to ask Kenya and Namibia themeselves? Ask and you will receive is a good mantra.
Do not only be fed the forked tongue BS that you present above.
7 Jun 2006, 08:07 am
To all who still cannot count. Griquas ended thrid in the VC QUALIFYING log. NOT OVERALL – Do you not know how it worked???
And read my comments under Spears dumped out of CC.
7 Jun 2006, 10:27 am
Look Joe
Alot of my friends have made the “prospective” Spears CC squad (see Spears website) and I feel for them as they won’t be playing the level of rugby that they should be. These guys are awesome rugby players and every effort should be made to keep them in the Eastern Cape. Agreed?
However, a history of poor management on the part of the unions concerned has rubbed off on to the Spears. I was part of a provincial academie squad assocaited with the Spears a few years ago and the academie went bank 8 months into it, despite an R8 Million sponsorship from a big comapny for the union! The CEO at the time had repaired his personal vehicle with the unions money, both he and members of the finance department were relieved of their duties.
While this has no immediate relevance to the current Spears situation, it does portray a history of mismanagement.
7 Jun 2006, 12:24 pm
SharksFan
Who are your mates?
The Spears run and have run a well oiled professional franchise.
What do your mates say?
7 Jun 2006, 12:47 pm
Most of the Border players. Some of them pulled out before this fiasco began because of non payment, lack of oraganisation etc.
We’ll agree to disagree…
9 Jun 2006, 07:10 am
Good riddANCe to the Southern Spares.
Rugby’s talentless cannon-fodder.
They won’t be missed. In fact, they won’t even be noticed.
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