Fourie vs Lions begins
29 Sep 2009
The contractual battle between Jaque Fourie and the Golden Lions Rugby Union began in Johannesburg on Monday.
Fourie wants to be released by the union so that he can sign a new deal with Western Province. The Lions argue that the Springbok is signed until 31 October 2010, but the contract states that the centre is employed as a technical advisor and not a player. However, the Gauteng union feel this should not matter and believe that Fourie should see out his commitment.
Fourie and his legal team, led by his attorney Frikkie Erasmus, and the GLRU and their legal representatives were all present for the first meeting. Fourie’s agent Peet van Zyl will testify on Tuesday.
The parties are expected to resolve the matter by the end of the week.
If Fourie’s case is successful, WP are reportedly keen to use his services as soon as his suspension he picked during the Tri-Nations for a tip tackle ends on the 3 October. This would create a personal clash when the two sides meet in Johannesburg on 10 October for the final round of the Currie Cup.
34 Comments
29 Sep 2009, 07:53 am
let the mossie “technical adviser” dragon go!
29 Sep 2009, 08:00 am
Fourie Jan.
29 Sep 2009, 08:01 am
I don’t know why WP don’t get Rupert to sign Mossie for the Saracens and then sell him back to province. I doubt whether there’s anything in his contract that stipulates how long he must spend with an overseas club before playing for another domestic province.
29 Sep 2009, 08:13 am
I believe the Lion’s should follow WP’s good example…
Jean was going… they could have insisted he stay for the remainder of the CC to try and help us win it… the first time we’re contenders in years… so we could’ve really done with him on the field…
Yet, Province allowed him to go early…
Why can’t the Lion’s behave in the same mature manner??? The only reason is spite… as one Lion’s blogger said a few weeks ago… (can’t remember who now…) they’d rather Jaque left South Africa and became unavailable for Springbok rugby than see him join Province…
Let’s hope sanity somehow prevails…
29 Sep 2009, 08:19 am
#3 David:
#4 ufo:
both very good points.
29 Sep 2009, 08:25 am
I find it sad that this whole situation has turned into a provincial debacle – despite the fact that UFO and the other muppets have all made valid points (all being Stormers/WP fans) I can guarantee you that Kat and the other Lions supporters will be on here in a flash to point out the other side of the coin.
29 Sep 2009, 08:43 am
#6 Kerneels:
no doubt they will…
29 Sep 2009, 08:44 am
I say let the man go. He’s been very loyal to this union. Fourie has stuck with this union through some of the hardest, kakkest times and now that he wants to move they’re giving him a hard time.
It gets to a point where players get fed up with empty promises and look out for their own interest and I think fourie has reached that point.
29 Sep 2009, 08:46 am
Either way, will Fourie be allowed to play in the play offs? Does not need to play a min amount of games?
29 Sep 2009, 08:55 am
The interesting point about all this, is that SARU were apparently prepared to financially assist WP to prevent Jaques from going overseas.
If that’s the case, then it looks like both SARU and WP may not have been aware, at the time, of the Lions determination to enforce the “not a local franchise” clause. Probably believing that keeping Jaques in SA was in the national interests, although WP were also likely to have relished the opportunity to sign him.
29 Sep 2009, 09:38 am
#10 David:
David… someone posted here when last we chatted about this… again can’t remember who… but said he was “in the know” and reported that – apparently – the Lion’s don’t have any documentation on Fourie’s contract. It’s been lost. They asked for Fourie’s copy… BUT the Lion’s had never actually signed either copy of the contract…
Seems they’ve been playing poker pretending to hold the aces but have actually got squat…
If that is true… the Lion’s can’t be enforcing any clauses… Not even Santa…
29 Sep 2009, 09:58 am
#11 ufo:
I find the Lions attitude rather childish. They realise that they can’t keep him and would rather he went overseas than play for another province. The whole business about a lack of loyaly etc. is just a smokescreen, in my opinion. They probably realise that they could get more money from an overseas club as compensation, than a local one.
29 Sep 2009, 10:12 am
Lions will no doubt start turning the corner with Wikus van Heerden returning a new breed of Lions welpies will start coming through. Its actually a great pity that some their stalwarts like Ernst Joubert and Willem Alberts and Jacque Fourie didn’t stick around because I reckon within 6 months this franchise will be back on the map once Van Heerden returns. That guy would have been my Bok captain long before he traded jersey’s to cross the Jukskei, don’t know quite what got into him to do so, maybe had a fall out with Loffie or something.
Often enough a team performs a whole lot better as a result of some inner belief than simply some reliance on super star prodigy’s like Fourie. I believe Fourie has over rated his own quality in this case and I certainly hope WP will be better for his kop toe services than worse off.
29 Sep 2009, 10:20 am
#13 skopskiet:
I think the Wikus move, in the run up to the WC, was to give him the chance of regular play at 6 alongside Spies, Bakkies, Victor and Rossouw. Jake had already stated that he was his second choice as the Bok captain after Smit.
29 Sep 2009, 10:31 am
#13 skopskiet: Wikus is a true Lion…big heart, all out commitment and always puts his body on the line. The only concern is his age. If the rumours are true he will be a great asset to the team.
29 Sep 2009, 12:04 pm
GO Jaque!
29 Sep 2009, 12:06 pm
#3 David:
If the Lions have a half decent lawyer it will have such a clause
Normally they are referred to as a Non-Circumvention clause.
I am not a Lions supporter but I feel strongly that people should honour not only the contract but the spirit of the contract.
If WePee are willing to pay the Lions then there may be a case for a compromise
29 Sep 2009, 12:09 pm
#11 ufo:
The incompetence is not forgivable but they can enforce the clauses.
The Lions signified acceptance by paying Fourie every month and Fourie showed acceptance by showing up (and signing the contract)
The Lions couldn’t walk away from their commitments so Fourie should not be able to walk away from his.
Having said that – if the Lions have stuffed things up so badly maybe they need to learn an expensive lesson
29 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm
#13 skopskiet: Is Wikus coming back??
Maybe he wants a crack at the RWC 2011 squad
29 Sep 2009, 12:57 pm
It is a lose / lose situation for the Lions.
If JF goes to WP they lose his services / BUT / if he stays he will be unhappy and this would be have a detrimental effect on the whole squad, the last thing a coach wants is an unhappy player unsettling the team and not playing to his full potential because he doesn’t want to be there.
Conclusion – they must let him go and try milk as much $$$ out of the transfer as possible.
No point in forcing a player to stay. EG – Man U let Ronaldo go even though they didn’t want to.
29 Sep 2009, 13:05 pm
This is ridicilous. Lions should let him go and Province should pay up. End of story.
29 Sep 2009, 13:12 pm
#20 brains_trust: Agree, The Lions must get over themselves and let him go.
29 Sep 2009, 14:06 pm
I ask again, what is the point of a contract if you can just state that you’d rather play for someone else?
It’s not the Lions point of view that’s childish and emotional – it’s you lot clamouring for the Lions to just “give him up and get on with life”. That’s not a rational, legal argument by any stretch of the imagination.
“Oh, but we’re in with a shot at the Currie Cup. Don’t be spiteful,” you say. What rubbish, I say.
Chelsea got nailed with an 18 month no-signing ban after convincing a French player to abandon his contract and sign with them. I bet that’s going to fck their next few seasons in the bum. Would Rassie and Rob have been such eager loophole-pickers (first Mujati and now Fourie) if authorities enforced the same respect for legal contracts here?
29 Sep 2009, 14:47 pm
If Jacque has his heart set on going, then the Lions should let him go. Conversely, if the GLRU forced him to stay, are they able to force a ‘technical adviser’ to play rugby? Seems a stupid situation. Let the brother go ………..
29 Sep 2009, 15:16 pm
If the Lions allow Jaque to go – as requested by many bloggers here – then where will it leave all other contracts at all other unions? What if the Lions then retaliate and sign Peter Grant whilst under contract at WP? Will it then be improper? Should WP then also let Grant go because he wants to? It will then be a free for all. I cannot understand why this is so difficult for some to appreciate. The Lions MUST stand their ground for the good of all contracts. If the fail a Pandora’s box will open.
It’s simple (and I’ve said as much before here): WP should offer a transfer fee as is appropriate. The Lions can then let Jaque go without losing face and all contracts will be safe, and all will get a clear message that signing a contract is serious business.
29 Sep 2009, 15:36 pm
Hi Skopskiet, in post #13 you mention that Van Heerden wil return to the Lions. Where did you get this info from … any substance to it? I hear many Lions rumours but this one is fresh.
29 Sep 2009, 15:40 pm
Keo, you guys know what’s going on as part of Winning Ways … so PLEASE give us some reliable Lions info. Reliable Lions news is very hard to get. We all hear rumours of major signings but nothing of substance is forthcoming.
29 Sep 2009, 15:42 pm
#26 Katsesnor: Also rumours that Chean Roux (Maties coach) is heading for the Lions. And I heard that Burton Francis was also joining, but this might have been a tall story.
29 Sep 2009, 16:04 pm
#28 katman: The Burton Francis rumour has merit because J-L Potgieter wouldn’t return to the Bulls if Francis stayed. Not sure who’s supposed to be Steyn’s prefered understudy, but I’m sure J-L P will not accept anything less.
29 Sep 2009, 16:07 pm
The Lions need a top quality flyhalf. This is the one missing ingredient for a couple of seasons now. When they solve this one they’ll be far more competitive.
29 Sep 2009, 16:17 pm
#30 Katsesnor: I reckon there are at least 5 positions that need urgent filling:
1. A quality tighthead (I guess the Mujati bridges are burnt for good)
2. A hooker
3. A lineout specialist lock (Willem Stoltz is a journeyman thug)
4. A flyhalf (Burton Francis could be interesting outside Jano)
5. Another wing – I know we’ve got Tonderai, which is great, but we need one more. Frolick, Noble and Jackson are yet to impress me.
I reckon, between Venter, Hollenbach, la Grange and Boshoff we’ve got the centres covered.
29 Sep 2009, 16:32 pm
If Fourie’s contract states that he is employed as a technical
advisor he should have refused to play and have
offered himself as a player to other franchises.
The fact that he elected to play for the Lions and thus become
available for Sringbok selection again,shows that his
appointment as ‘technical advisor’ did not reflect the true
nature of his contract and that Fourie himself established
the true nature by playing and that he is indeed a ‘contracted player’ who now his to serve his contract or pay a hefty fine to be released.
29 Sep 2009, 16:49 pm
#28 katman:
Chean must be one of the most talented and hard working young coaches in the country. He should be a great choice and a loss to the Cape.
29 Sep 2009, 17:01 pm
#33 David: Correct. I hope it’s true.
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