Contract killer
14 Dec 2010
MARK KEOHANE, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says Lionel Mapoe has screwed the system.
Lionel Mapoe got what he wanted, which was a ticket out of Bloemfontein. But it was the way that he did it that sucks and betrays his immense talent on a rugby field.
A year ago Mapoe’s omission from the Springbok squad to tour Europe was more baffling than some of the selections. Mapoe was the form winger in South Africa. He appeared the dream selection: young, big, fast and bloody well black. It was as if God had gift-wrapped the complete package for the Springbok selectors who did as they tend to do with the logical and the obvious: they ignored Mapoe, who didn’t need an international tour to stay in the news. If only we were talking about this athlete for the right reasons.
I always imagined the first column I’d write about Mapoe would be in celebration of what he was doing in a Springbok jersey, but before he gets there he would probably have spent some time in every provincial union and probably not have played a game for any of them.
Mapoe, for whatever reason, was unhappy at the Cheetahs and decided the Sharks were his future. The Sharks, never shy to import from the Free State, which is South African professional rugby’s greatest feeder system, did not need a second phone call from Mapoe or his agent.
An injury ended Mapoe’s season and he was off to the Sharks. That he had a contract with the Cheetahs seemed nothing more than an irritation to the player and Mapoe’s rehabilitation proceeded in Durban while the Cheetahs threatened legal action.
The Cheetahs, the punching bag of South African professional rugby when it comes to losing talent to wealthier provinces, were always going to lose because even if a court ruled in favour of the union, all Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské would be left with was a player who had all the talent to be a superstar for the union but no desire to be true to that talent.
Mapoe wanted out and the Sharks were happy to oblige in taking a player still under contract. So when Mapoe walked out on the Sharks a month ago and joined the Lions after the Cheetahs and Lions administration had exchanged notes and put the squeeze on the Sharks, there wasn’t a whole lot of sympathy for the Sharks.
This, though, isn’t about the Sharks, the Cheetahs or the Lions. It isn’t about who is right or wrong and who acted in good faith. It isn’t about who has the moral high ground or whether the Sharks’ lawyers feel there was a loophole in Mapoe’s contract. It certainly isn’t about whether the Cheetahs and Lions feel common ground has been reached and that both unions and the player start 2011 as winners. It is about the absolute disregard shown by yet another player for a signed contract. What does a signature mean to Mapoe? Where is the integrity?
Every year players talk about the lack of professionalism among certain administrators. Players privately bemoan the incompetence of these amateurs who control their professions in the guise of CEOs. But what of the player who screws the system and does a dirty on his own integrity in the process? What a mess.
I have no sympathy for Mapoe or any player who walks out on a deal in which he has committed his name to paper. There is honour in a name and the assumption has always been there is honour in a signature.
Mapoe will get better as a player working with Lions and former All Blacks coach John Mitchell. He will break tackles, make tackles and score tries in next year’s Super Rugby tournament, but nothing he does on the field can disguise his lack of integrity off it.
The Lions must enjoy Mapoe’s talent while they have him, but they shouldn’t be surprised if he’s in Pretoria or Cape Town in February, given his track record.
If you let a player in through the back door then expect him to leave the same way.
– This first appeared in the December issue of SA Rugby magazine.
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180 Comments
14 Dec 2010, 06:12 am
A big zero in top-level rugby.
14 Dec 2010, 06:15 am
“In a move to shock the rugby world, All Blacks sensation Sonny Bill Williams is set to announce that he is stepping into the boxing ring for his third professional fight.
The fight is believed to be taking place in 2011 just months before the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in September. ”
(stuff.co.nz)
Now THERE is a dinkum contractual worry. Not this Mapoe fraud.
14 Dec 2010, 06:23 am
you have lost your integrity a long time ago mr.mark keohane…if you ever had any to start with.take that tree out of your own eyes first before jumping mapoe.
14 Dec 2010, 06:33 am
@the tackler:ok,you have posted that same story on another thread.what do you want to prove?please enlighten me.
14 Dec 2010, 06:36 am
@capo : There’s nothing “to prove” but plenty “to inform”. Consider yourself informed.
14 Dec 2010, 06:51 am
What rugby in this country requires urgently is a Code of Ethics in the handling of transfers between franchises.
We have here the Mapoe example who himself was ill-advised and himself behaved unethically. And for his troubles didn’t touch a rugby ball all season.
Before that we had the Willem Alberts and Louis Ludik saga that had to go to arbitration between the Lions and Sharks.
And before that, the Jaque Fourie move to the Stormers/Province which also went to arbitration. And ensured that the player missed out on a whole Currie Cup season.
Unless all concerned start behaving professionally in a professional environment, we will have more of these unsavoury incidents occurring.
14 Dec 2010, 08:02 am
@tackler. Who cares about SBW boxing. Hesjust like his showpony mate Mundine pretending to be a serious boxer. As long as he doesn’t go up against someone who can punch he’ll be just fine.
14 Dec 2010, 08:16 am
Well, 2010 was one of the best years for a new-comer to earn himself a springbok cap considering all the injuries and lack of form by various player. In Lwazi Mvovo and Gio Aplon we now have awesome back-ups to Bryan Habana(If he can regain some form) and JP Pietersen.
14 Dec 2010, 08:20 am
I agree wholehartedly with this article.
14 Dec 2010, 08:21 am
@stormer in a teacup : The Man Mundine is a two-time WORLD super-middleweight champion for the WBA and is still the reigning WBO champ even if was illegally KO sucker-punched to the back of the head recently. That’s hardly “show-pony” and it’s pretty darn serious enough.
SBW is unbeaten as a pro boxer.
But his boxing might imperil his rugby. That’s a very large contractual worry, even if the AB selectors still have the world’s best midfield without him.
14 Dec 2010, 08:25 am
In Sonny Bill Williams the all-blacks have a great replacement for Ma’a Nonu. They actually have some brilliant centre stocks. Nonu, Smith, SBW, Kahui, Fruean(bloody good in NPC) and from next year they’ve even got Umaga.
14 Dec 2010, 08:26 am
Nice headline, nice article. Mapoe will forever more be known for how he screwed around his various unions, and it will over shadow whatever he achieves on a rugby field.
14 Dec 2010, 08:27 am
Come on, keo, now you feel it’s time to moan about this?
When Fourie paid a lawyer to scratch and scratch until a little thread of loophole came loose, we were told to suck it up because the contract was flimsy.
And when Alberts and Ludick weaseled out of their contracts in similar fashion, we had to hear once again that the blame lay at the Lions lawyers. But now Mapoe is a disgrace for disrespecting his contract?
What’s good for the goose, bro.
14 Dec 2010, 08:30 am
@stormer in a teacup : Ja, I saw the wobbly drunk they put in the ring with SWB last time. That wasn’t boxing. That was target practice, and SWB should have ended it in under a minute. Which he didn’t.
14 Dec 2010, 08:37 am
Speaking of gooses.
14 Dec 2010, 08:44 am
@gunther : What, did you get lucky?
14 Dec 2010, 08:45 am
Sonny Bill Who??
Must be one of Jamie Olivers kids…
14 Dec 2010, 08:47 am
Katman
Yep.
Got my whole arm in.
14 Dec 2010, 08:48 am
@Bod : Sonny Bill Walton. Brother of Jim Bob and Mary Allen.
14 Dec 2010, 08:49 am
I only saw 2 or 3 games Mapoe played in. Did not really see what all the hype was really about. Mvovo and Basson made a much bigger impression when i first saw them. Given chance, would he be able to oust either of the above?
14 Dec 2010, 08:52 am
Bod
No man his kids have names like daisy fruitcake and franky bigbollocks.
14 Dec 2010, 08:54 am
All I know is Mapoe is a Lion now, and he’s going to be part of a tremendous backline. We lost three of our best in 18 months under similar circumstances, so don’t expect us to get all saddened by the injustice of it all.
14 Dec 2010, 08:57 am
Having thought about it though contract killer is a bit harsh.
I mean just because he now plays for team owned by a tenderpreneur and a gun runner….
14 Dec 2010, 08:59 am
Keo, when you finally get out of bed, finish you yoghurt and muesli and switch on your Macbook Pro, I’d like you to tell me where this outrage was when Fourie snuck out of the Lions’ camp and crawled in with Province under the cover of night. I suspect you will argue that leaving the Lions for Province is morally justified, even if it means pooping all over your contract.
14 Dec 2010, 09:00 am
@katman : All true. But at least Fourie has played more than 10 games at the Lions. In Mapoe’s case, half those were under 21.
@kingrichard : You’re right. That’s all he played.
14 Dec 2010, 09:03 am
@gunther : All I know is that Sonny Bill is as big a joke as Daisy Fruitcake and and Franky Bigbolloks.
But I am happy for Tackles, as he can finally replace the worn, delaminated and buggered Jonah Lomu poster on his ceiling above his bed with a brand spanking new Sonny Bill poster
14 Dec 2010, 09:06 am
Had a function on Friday night and was chatting to two Kiwi’s now living in SA. Nice chaps but damn are they feeling the pressure. All they could talk about was the wc and what would happen if they didn’t win it. Quite funny really. They told me a story about a builder who walked off site whilst building for an AB, because they lost.
14 Dec 2010, 09:08 am
One correction, Keo:
There is no way Mapoe will find himself in Pretoria in February, or any other month for that matter.
We don’t go for the type of contracting methods that the Sharks stoop to.
And we wouldn’t want to touch Mapoe with a bargepole in any case.
14 Dec 2010, 09:09 am
@Bod : “brand spanking new Sonny Bill poster”
“spanking” being the operative word.
14 Dec 2010, 09:10 am
@katman : to be fair, Keo came out and criticised jaque fourie at the time and maintained that he needed to honour his contract with the lions! Admittedly it was around the time when “Conniving Ways” were on a retainer as “rugby consultants” at the Lions so his sincerity was questionable but he is being downright consistent.
14 Dec 2010, 09:11 am
Bod
Ticklers poster of lomu would keep an entire csi team busy for a week with those little lights of theirs.
Poor Jonah will have more pearl necklaces than Aspreys.
14 Dec 2010, 09:11 am
Wonder how much all the legal fees were that the Sharks have to pay out? Some one needs to be questioned on that.
14 Dec 2010, 09:11 am
@Tacitus : this is a different tune from the one you were singing late last year and early 2010
14 Dec 2010, 09:13 am
@Tacitus : ya. you’ve already got more ‘swartes’ than you can handle.
14 Dec 2010, 09:15 am
1. Mapoe
2. Alberts
3. Ludick
4. Fourie
5. Bakkies
All of these guys tried (some succesfully) to get out of their signed contracts. Its a real pity that we are left with SARU to manage all of this which we know will not happen. Instead, everyone is suing everyone. Transfer fees or some method can surely be looked at to lubricate the process.
14 Dec 2010, 09:15 am
@Transformation :
What tune might that be?
14 Dec 2010, 09:17 am
@katman :
look, nobody is having a go at the Lions.
but there is a definate trend towards players not having any respect for a contract that they have signed and agreed to.
14 Dec 2010, 09:18 am
Oh Keo, of all people.
Spare us the bloody sermon from the mount.
You’re riddled with hypocricy, devoid of even a thread of integrity.
Indeed, this site earns its keep (and lines your pocket) with its trash tabloid journalism and total disregard for anything remotely approaching honesty, decency and integrity.
Give us a break…
14 Dec 2010, 09:20 am
Ai tog Keo
“young, big, fast and bloody well black.”
14 Dec 2010, 09:21 am
@TheTackler :
2007
Sonny Bill Williams was caught in a compromising position with model Candice Falzon, with a photo taken by a mobile phone of the incident published on the Daily Telegraph website. Williams later apologised to his girlfriend.[88][89] He was later caught by police relieving himself outside of a nightclub in Cronulla and fined $650, subsequently admitting to an alcohol problem and later on in the year was caught speeding 20 km/h over the legal limit of the area.[90][91]
14 Dec 2010, 09:24 am
@Dumb Supporter : There’s no doubt that the system needs to be looked at. But refusing a transfer isn’t new to professional sport. Just at the moment Carlos Tevez, the Manchester City football player is looking to move from Man City. The bosses don’t want to let him go, so the only options he really has is, (a) come to an agreement, or (b) retire.
If they allow an escape clause if a player is unhappy then it will degenerate the value of the contract in the first place. We do use transfer fees, and Free State were paid one for Mapoe’s move to the Lions.
It’s interresting that the Cheetahs could refuse a move to the Sharks for example, but allow a move to the Lions, if it’s still within contract period. Alex fergusson from Manchester United will never allow a player from his squad to move to another competing team like Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea etc for example.
So the way that the Cheetahs reacted and followed protocol was for me, in line with international standards.
The fact that Jaques Fourie, Louis Luddick and Alberts were allowed to move was because their contracts were dodgy. And yes, for that the Lions must be blamed. yes, people may feel it’s immoral but legally allowed as decided by the courts.
Where you draw the moral line in those cases will probably depend on which team you support.
14 Dec 2010, 09:27 am
@Fern :
“Sonny Bill Williams was caught in a compromising position with model Candice Falzon”
was she rodgering him from behind with a strap-on?
14 Dec 2010, 09:28 am
@the peanut gallery : Glad to see you and Andre Nels altered ego caught my drift, as I couldbt bring myself to publically dis my mate Tackles
14 Dec 2010, 09:28 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl : Candice is a professional sportswoman if i’m not mistaken. So yes, she probably was!
14 Dec 2010, 09:31 am
@Joe Maher : Yegads… are you still alive?
All we need now is for the Reverend Jim Jones to log on and we will have the veritable old boys school blogging this morning
14 Dec 2010, 09:31 am
Korporaal
Probably a good thing ge wasn’t dating our caster then.
He may have fallen pregnant …
14 Dec 2010, 09:36 am
@gunther :
LOL
14 Dec 2010, 09:37 am
@gunther : that would be: cast-her-*****..-yeah
14 Dec 2010, 09:37 am
it is a professional game now and a players career is short. They should always seek the best offer. EVERYTHING is negotiable. Why should he stay at the Free State when they were undervaluing his talents? If you look after a player they will show the loyalty and integrity that you write about. And in this day and age it is the players agent who does the business deals……sorry Keo but I find this article of yours a bit naive.
14 Dec 2010, 09:38 am
YOUNG MONEY
14 Dec 2010, 09:40 am
@the peanut gallery : ***** = s e m e n
14 Dec 2010, 10:12 am
@Fern : SBW’s 24 — you’ve only got so long to sow wild oats (although Warnie and Liz are extending the limits. So too that fine churchgoing boerseun Joost vdW — the drug-sniffer dog.)
Does your moral homily have a point?
Thought not.
14 Dec 2010, 10:30 am
Strangely enough i do not recall a similar article when John Smit and Vic Matfield did very similar with their French contracts.
In fact all the unions were being lambasted for not immediately making place for Smittie, the national pride and treasure.
14 Dec 2010, 10:57 am
@katman : There was as much outrage re Fourie, on this site and in my BD column, and I wrote as much about the lack of ethics displayed by Fourie.
14 Dec 2010, 10:57 am
Kevvie
The national pride and treasure.
Bitter much?
By the way what were the terms of smit and matfields contracts and under what circumstances were they terminated?
14 Dec 2010, 11:01 am
@keo : interesting what brings you out of slumber to comment/reply to
Transie said as much so you are in the clear
14 Dec 2010, 11:05 am
@ Tackler. Mundine got flogged byboxings version of Susan Boyle, a reality show winner. This came ad no surprise to those in the know. Jeff Femech cleaned up 140 000 betting against him. He had only beaten bums and lost anyone worth his salt. SBW is unbeaten after 2 fights against total nobodies. I am also unbeaten after 0 fights. As long as SBW can avoid another reality show winner such as the Biggest Loser champ he should be OL.
14 Dec 2010, 11:11 am
@stormer in a “D” cup :
SBW once kicked a horse in the chin. Its decendants are known today as Giraffes.
14 Dec 2010, 11:23 am
@cane : Now you using Chuck Norris sayings for SBW? Let’s see how he lasts with all the pressure. Has he not already had a few brushes with authority?
14 Dec 2010, 11:33 am
@stormer in a teacup :
The “Blind Chickenboy” in the Nando’s advert would whip sbw.
He has had 15 fights and won 21 of the by knockout:-)
14 Dec 2010, 11:33 am
@keo : Oh, you did? You said that Fourie screwed the system in a way that sucked and betrayed his immense talent on a rugby field?
Because I don’t recall that.
I do recall you writing a BD column lambasting the Lions and telling us how happy Fourie was to be at a real union. I guess this is not the one you’re referring to.
14 Dec 2010, 11:34 am
@Eish :
Sonny Bill has being playing Professional Rugby since he was 17 years old.
I got a feeling he can handle pressure.
The media hype is not of his doing.
He is among the most modest human beings to ever grace this great game.
Is he good enough. For sure.
Is he any better than Ma Nonu……………probably not. But then again, not many are.
14 Dec 2010, 11:35 am
@cane. I once hit a giraffe on the head. It’s descendents are now known as Shetlands
14 Dec 2010, 11:39 am
@katman :
Katman vs Keo.
I got US$25.00 that says Katmandu will take this one.
8)
14 Dec 2010, 11:40 am
@stormer in a “D”cup :
I concede.
14 Dec 2010, 11:41 am
Well he has Mapoed his bed.
No he must lie in it.
14 Dec 2010, 11:42 am
@katman :
Actually he did:
Jaque Fourie must honour his contract with the Lions, writes Keo in his weekly Business Day newspaper column.
When Jaque Fourie checks his bank balance every month there is a deposit from the Golden Lions Rugby Union. Fourie is under contract at the Lions, and has been his entire professional career. Now that he wants to relocate to France or use Cape Town as a lifestyle alternative, Fourie, through his lawyer Frikkie Erasmus, has challenged this contract as not being binding.
Erasmus also represents Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus and is the Stormers’ commercial manager, so you don’t have to be a genius to add up that sum.
The point is the Lions have a duty to the professional game to ensure Fourie doesn’t get out of his contract. The Lions have to be prepared to take the matter to the highest court and show the young professionals of today that there is such a thing called integrity, and it is this integrity that is assumed a given when a player commits his signature to a piece of paper, plays for a team and gets his match and monthly financial rewards.
The nonsense of what technically constitutes a legal contract misses the point because technically what constitutes a murder? I am sure Erasmus may technically believe there are flaws to Fourie’s contract and if the Lions wanted to end Fourie or any other player’s contract prematurely there is no doubt a legal brain in SA who would find the loophole in the signed agreement. But some things must be protected in sport, and among those things is the respect of a signature to a piece of paper, whether it is deemed to be legally binding or not.
There are no greater insults than when one’s integrity is questioned or when the accusation is that your word means nothing. This is what Fourie needs to be asking himself, despite his haste to get out of Johannesburg.
Fourie, since making his Lions debut as a 19-year-old, has always sweated blood for the Lions and those who have paid his salary have shown their gratitude financially for his effort and his loyalty to what has too often been a losing cause.
In times of injury and loss of form there was never a question that his contract would be under threat or was not legally binding. One has always stood by the other, which is why it is crucial to both the Lions and Fourie that the relationship is not lost because of another union’s haste (read Western Province) to get Fourie out of a contract.
Wherever Fourie goes, be it Cape Town or somewhere in France, it is bound to be temporary, and a player of his quality certainly doesn’t need to be made to feel like a turncoat every time he returns to the place that has been home all his life.
Fourie must stay until the end of the 2010 Currie Cup season because it is the right thing to do. That was always his commitment to the union and theirs was always to pay him until that date.
14 Dec 2010, 11:48 am
@cane :
Pay up:)
14 Dec 2010, 11:54 am
@Pam Anderson’s left ( . ) :
Only if you show me the right one as well!
Then gladly.
8)
14 Dec 2010, 11:55 am
Actually both together might be quite mesmerizing.
14 Dec 2010, 12:00 pm
“Contract Killer”
Thought it was a Blue Bulls related story!
Either Deon Helberg or Bees Roux
14 Dec 2010, 12:00 pm
@cane :
( . )( . )
Now pay up
14 Dec 2010, 12:02 pm
@Pam Anderson’s ( . )( . ) :
8)
Wowwwwwwwwww.
Thanks Pam. I’ll never be the same again.
lol.
14 Dec 2010, 12:02 pm
@cane :
Congrats on your Kiwi Sevens
Must say you guys were well supported
14 Dec 2010, 12:03 pm
Cheques in the post.
14 Dec 2010, 12:03 pm
@gunther : 66 that doos quota_sux aptly named him Mapoephol…hahaha
14 Dec 2010, 12:11 pm
geld maak die klipkoppe confused
14 Dec 2010, 12:11 pm
@Mighty Horua :
We were a bit lucky too, Mighty Horua. But that’s 7′s.
Not much between the top 5 or 6 teams.
Should be a very interesting year for the 7′s.
I was more than a little surprised by the support for NZ.
14 Dec 2010, 12:13 pm
@cane : Lots of kiwi support in the Cape. Wish they’d move to NZ. You want them?
14 Dec 2010, 12:24 pm
@cane :
Agree, it will certainly go to the end!
Support in Cape Town will always be great!
14 Dec 2010, 12:30 pm
@Pam Anderson’s ( . )( . ) :
We got enough of you lot here now.
3 of 8,
of my Sons Teachers so far, have been Saffas.
All great Teachers by the way.
14 Dec 2010, 12:31 pm
@Pam Anderson’s left ( . ) : Okay, I stand corrected. I apologise for any hurt I may have caused. Keo, seriously, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
As a gesture of goodwill, I offer you the following:
.. .. .. .. .. ,%%%%%%%,
.. .. .. .. ..,%%/\%%%/\%%
.. .. .. .. .c%%%\c.”‘”.J/%%%
.%.. .. ..%%%%/.o..o\%%%
….`%%.. .. %%%|.. ._..|%%%
..`%%.. . %%%(__Y__)%%’
.. ..//.. .. .; ‘%%%’\—/%%%’
.. .((.. .. ./.. ..`%%%%%’
.. ..\\.. ..’.. .. .. .. .. .|
.. .. \\../.. .. .. .. \..|.|
.. .. .\\/.. .. .. .. ..).|.|
.. .. . \.. .. .. .. ../_.|.|__
.. .. . (___________)))))))
14 Dec 2010, 12:32 pm
Fck me, that’s a mess. Looks way cooler in Word.
14 Dec 2010, 12:46 pm
@katman :
hahahaha….wanted to support you rather, but the money was too good
14 Dec 2010, 12:47 pm
@katman : A messed-up Lion … I’ve seen too many of those … but we hope it will change in 2011 …
14 Dec 2010, 12:50 pm
Magtag
I am so bored
Weird day
14 Dec 2010, 12:52 pm
R5000 pm isn’t a heck of a contract and in this regard Harold is a right *****. A little less than the 100 000 a month the Sharks paid him.
The reason he went to the Lions is because the Cheetahs wanted a transfer fee and the Sharks would not budge and so Harold, like usual, turned nasty.
The Lions and Cheetahs, the way they are behaving, deserve each other.
14 Dec 2010, 12:53 pm
How come you never hear Doppies complain.
14 Dec 2010, 12:55 pm
About those Keo articles … I also found it disturbing at the time that Keo would take Fourie on about failing to honour his contract with the Lions but then later write how well Fourie fitted in “at a real rugby union” (something to that effect), creating the impression that the “dishonoring your contract” part was all forgotten and forgiven.
14 Dec 2010, 12:56 pm
@Dawn : That guy does his talking on the field. 2011 is going to be a big year for Doppies.
14 Dec 2010, 12:57 pm
@Dawn :
I was very pleased to see your name registered among those who remembered Jinx with warmth.
14 Dec 2010, 12:57 pm
@Katsesnor : When it’s for the WP cause, you’re allowed to flip your opinion. Everyone knows this.
14 Dec 2010, 12:58 pm
@cane :
Sounds like you were surprised too.
I liked Jinx, believe it or not.
14 Dec 2010, 12:59 pm
@Dawn : Jinx liked you a lot.
14 Dec 2010, 13:00 pm
Jinne I can’t believe he’s gone.
Genuine.
Fecking unbelievable.
14 Dec 2010, 13:01 pm
Now let’s see if we get an article on the Lions and their dodgy procurement process. Hardly squeaky clean either by the sounds of it. How many Sharks has Muir and his misfits approached still in contract this year? At least 5
14 Dec 2010, 13:04 pm
Re Mapoe, I strongly advise Keo to sit down with the man and write us his side of events. He was abused at the Free State. First the Bulls wanted him and FS promised to get his contract sorted out, but dragged their feet (which saved them money for as long as they promised but didnt deliver). Then the Sharks tried to exploit the crappy situation Mapoe found himself in but declined to pay a transfer fee. Greedy Sharks vs stingy Free State. The Lions came to Mapoe’s rescue and offered the FS the tranfer fee that should have been paid by the Sharks. The Lions did the right thing and I can appreciate why the player opted for such an escape. How can anyone expect Mapoe to have any loyalty towards the FS that abused him? That the Sharks was unwilling to pay a transfer fee is not his fault either, and the court did back the FS. In my mind Mapoe’s situation worked out best for him with the Lions deal.
14 Dec 2010, 13:08 pm
@Katsesnor : Why not ask what the transfer fee was that the FS wanted the Sharks to pay vs what the Lions paid (bear in mind his massive R5000 pm salary at FS).
14 Dec 2010, 13:09 pm
@goyougoodthing2 : Muir learned his craft at the Sharks. If the Sharks are allowed to do this – and win trophies doing so – why not the Lions? We still miss Alberts and it will take a few serious poaches to level that score.
14 Dec 2010, 13:10 pm
@Dawn : 95 – Just saw you put something down on the Tribute thred for Jinx. Thanks Dawn. Jinx did like you a lot. Showed it here plenty.
14 Dec 2010, 13:10 pm
@Puma : 100 – thread
14 Dec 2010, 13:13 pm
@Katsesnor : Whatever. I don’t think any side is right here. And as for Muir, you can have him, a turdinlipstickonapig
14 Dec 2010, 13:13 pm
@goyougoodthing2 : I don’t know what the transfer fees were, so please tell. The Lions paid. The Sharks didn’t. The court backed the FS so a fee was required to get anywhere. That FS charged a much as they did (I don’t know the number) compared to wat they paid Mapoe is more proof of why Mapoe could never stay with them (and anyone expecting him to would be crazy).
14 Dec 2010, 13:16 pm
@Katsesnor : Harold wanted the sharks to pay more than double the amount he took from the Lions.
It was petty politicing on his behalf, something the little man loves.
I think anyone who wants to play for the Cheetahs is a fool.
Heck the guy has so little class he can’t even stay to the end of a match if his team is losing.
14 Dec 2010, 13:20 pm
@goyougoodthing2 : Bull. The Sharks never made an offer, and neither did Harold make a price.
@Katsesnor : You do know what transfer fees are, right? If not, it’s basicly buying out the remainder of his contract. He had 2 years remaining on his contract, and he was paid R750k since Feb, so the Lions paid less than that.
You two should stop sucking stuff from your thumbs considering where it has been.
14 Dec 2010, 13:23 pm
@Bouts : He would have been paid 60 000 for the entire year at the FS if he had stayed. Tell the truth, his salary was a disgrace to a secretary.
14 Dec 2010, 13:26 pm
@Bouts : You know what its like mate. Sometimes it’s inconvenient to let the facts get in the way of a good story.
14 Dec 2010, 13:28 pm
@goyougoodthing2 : that is ridiculous
14 Dec 2010, 13:35 pm
@Bouts : Bouts, the way I see it a transfer fee can be anything the current “owner” says it should be and then there’s negotiations. Your formula should be the basis but it need not be the case. Why the Lions paid less per your claim.
14 Dec 2010, 13:36 pm
@stormersboy : So please enlighten us with the facts …
14 Dec 2010, 13:38 pm
@Pam Anderson’s ( . )( . ) : yes it is, a pro rugby player getting 5K per month. Disgusting. If I were Harold I would hide in shame.
14 Dec 2010, 13:40 pm
@Bouts : Where do you get 750k from? That is what the Sharks would have paid, not the dirty Cheetahs. You can’t negotiate a transfer fee based on a salary that you are NOT paying.
14 Dec 2010, 13:43 pm
We need FACTS, and that should have been part of Keo’s article to make it fair. The player has not been given an opportunity to state the facts as he experienced them.
14 Dec 2010, 13:46 pm
What about the LEGAL FESS the Sharks paid, I don’t recall the player objecting to that 400k also spent. I hope he plans on paying it back.
14 Dec 2010, 13:48 pm
@goyougoodthing2 : The way I see it the Sharks walked into that risk with their eyes wide open. They knew they stood a chance to lose and were they in such a case planning to claim it back from the player they tried to lure over? Nope.
14 Dec 2010, 13:48 pm
@Katsesnor : I have none. But No-one sle here seems to have to correct story either.
Personally I don’t care. Mapoe is a fool either way if you ask me.
14 Dec 2010, 14:35 pm
Mapoe the Skelm
14 Dec 2010, 14:41 pm
The way I see it, you get two types: Mapoe and Yopoe. This here is Mapoe. Now I suggest you all concern yourselves with Yopoe.
14 Dec 2010, 15:26 pm
Nothing pisses me off more than rugby administrators, but Verster takes the cake.
Any news on the Cheetahs new sponsor yet?
14 Dec 2010, 15:42 pm
For those looking for facts (1):
These are the events as they transpired. The information was taken from various sources and tries to include all parties involved points of view. Also, remember that these events take place in a time frame of more or less a year (from the middle of the 2009 CC season to end of the 2010 CC season).
1. The “R 5000/month” salary allegations. Mapoe was contracted as a junior player on junior contract that started on R60 000/year with annual increases. In 2009, he was earning R80 000/year as a JUNIOR player. This contract included free board and lodging at the Cheetah House. Before anyone cry “foul”.
This is a STANDARD junior contract and if you were to go around the country, you’ll find that most u/18 players sign very similar deals. It’s only a few plaayers who recieve more than one offer from different unions that will start on better contracts. Mapoe did NOT recieve any other offers from any other unions as an u/18 player. He was viewed as a potential player that could be developed.
2. During the 2009 CC season, Freestate suffered a serious amount injuries to their backline. This opened the door for Mapoe (at this point still a junior u/21 player) to get a break in the senior side. From August to November Mapoe played 8 CC games for the Cheetahs senior side.
Seeing that the Cheetahs are aa union with serious budget constraints, they could not afford to up his salary to the minimum aquired amount of R10 000/month for a senior CC player. They went in search of extra sponsors in order to up salary. In December 2009, they secured the necesarry sposors and upped his basic salary to R200 000 per year.
From interviews with Mapoe and Jan Harm van Wyk (his agent) it is clear that one of Mapoe’s complaints against the Cheetahs is that: 1. They did not increase his salary immidiately. 2. They did not negotiate the new basic salary they started to pay him.
Will continue…
14 Dec 2010, 15:43 pm
@Bouts : Not entirely true. The transfer is the remaining contract plus something extra. Bulls paid a transfer fee of R 1 million to get Basson from Griquas. I dont think Basson was earning R100 000 at Griquas.
Mapoe is a snake finish and klaar. I hope he doesnt play for the Boks. No honour or loyalty.
14 Dec 2010, 15:51 pm
@Katsesnor : True. It is the value a unioun places on a player. Usually an international player will have a higher value.
14 Dec 2010, 15:57 pm
Facts (2):
3. At the start of the 2010 S14 season, Mapoe was natuarally included in the Cheetahs S14 team. His salary was also topped up so that he could earn the minimum amount of R27 500/month recuired for a S14 player. Therefore he earned R27 500/month during the S14. Mapoe played 4 S14 games before he got injured, but still recieved his S14 salary.
Looking at this, one would see that in a matter of six months (Aug ’09 to Feb ’10) Mapoe salary increaded from R6 000/month to R27 500. In this time period, Mapoe played 12 senior games for the Cheetahs.
4. The Cheetahs also made Mapoe an offer of a new contract. They would increase his salary to R750 000/year over a period of three years if he was willing to extent his contract for a further two years.
This seems to be the other complaint that Mapoe has with the Cheetahs, the fact that they value him at R750 000 per year and did not want to offer him the R 1.4 mil he was offered by the Bulls or the R 1.2 mil he was offered by the Sharks. According to Mapoe this shows that they do not value him as a player.
Looking at this: Mapoe started on a R 60 000/year salary as an 18 year old and would have seen his salary grow to R750 000/year within 6 years. Is this such a bad deal from the ONLY union that was willing to take time, effort and money to develop you mand give you the playing oppertunity?
Mapoe on the other hand wanted to see his salary grow from R 60 000/year to R1.2 mil/year within 3 years, because he believed that is what he is worth.
To continue…
14 Dec 2010, 16:02 pm
@fsjakes : Greedy B a s t a r d
14 Dec 2010, 16:08 pm
Facts (3):
5. At the end of the 2010 S14 season (after only playing 4 games and using the Cheetahs to rehabilitate himself) Mapoe dissapeared from Bloem. He did not let ANYONE know that he was leaving. A week later it was reported that Mapoe is training with the Sharks, he has signed a new contract with the Sharks and that he believes that his contract with the Cheetahs weren’t binding.
What followed was an arbitration hearing and a court case. In both cases the ruling was that Mapoe had a legal contract with the Cheetahs and had to return to Bloem. Mapoe refused and the Sharks backed him.
6. After the the court case, the Sharks offered to pay a tranfer fee for Mapoe. The Cheetahs asked for a R 1.5 mil transfer fee. Was this this excessive? Maybe. Was it to prove a point? Deffinately!
7. Mapoe and the Sharhs appealed the last ruling in the court case and a new date for yet another case was established.
8. Before that case could be heard, news broke that Mapoe has dropped all charges against the Cheetahs and that he has signed a new deal with the Lions. The Lions apparently paid a R 750 000 transfer fee.
So, from May to October 2010 the Sharks payed Mapoe R100 000/month and covered all his legal fees. They also payed for the rest of Mapoe’s rehabilitation. Yet, Mapoe took his stuff and left.
To continue…
14 Dec 2010, 16:12 pm
The only questions remaining is:
1. How on earth caan anyone NOT agree with Keo regarding the character of Mapoe?
2. How on earth can anyone still blame the Cheetahs as the “evil” institution that “mistreated” this poor rugby player?
3. How on earth can anyone still stand up for Mapoe and try and defend his character and claim moral high ground?
You can’t! Mapoe (and probably with lots of help from his agent) are SOLELY to blame for the situation he has placed himself in!
14 Dec 2010, 16:18 pm
@fsjakes :
he’s a real prick.
going to be a bit funny if he turns out to be a dud and sicknote.
14 Dec 2010, 16:24 pm
The Lions are a bunch of underachieving clowns. John Mitchell aint no miracle worker. The lions fans are mostly inbred and ugly. Their mascot must be drunk to support them.
14 Dec 2010, 16:25 pm
@fsjakes : 126 I’m with you on that one. Have said so from the start. If he never plays for the Springboks it’ll be too soon for me.
14 Dec 2010, 16:29 pm
@Slappes : jeepuz, where did you come from with all guns blazing!
14 Dec 2010, 16:30 pm
@stormersboy : he will play for the Bokke regardless, pdv wanted him in the mix already but the Tjeetahs refused, so resign urself.
14 Dec 2010, 16:31 pm
I hope all of you were just as outraged when Fourie, Alberts and Ludick pulled this one.
@fsjakes : While I appreciate your research efforts here, you can spare us the sob story about how young he was and how the Cheetahs invested in him when no one else did, or how the Cheetahs had no money to pay him more. None of that is relevant here.
This is not a normal workplace, where you progress through the ranks at a set pace. This is pro sport, where you are paid your worth, regardless of your seniority or experience. The shelf life of a talented pro rugby player is way too short to be tied into cheapskate Free State contracts.
And while I appreciate and value the binding nature of a contract, that doesn’t excuse Verster trying to pull a cheap one.
Do you think James O’Connor would have been on a junior contract when he was 18? If you’re good enough, then the market should dictate your worth.
14 Dec 2010, 16:39 pm
i’m pretty glad he’s at the lions, the cheetahs sounded like they were paying to pick corn and the sharks already have two wings in mvovo and JP who are likely to see plenty of actions, so lets see what Mapoe can do week in and week out in the S14 under the guidance of goldenboy jonnie mitchell – who knows we could have the real article come RWC time, and another worldclass winger would not hurt the cause at all, the jury is still out on twinkletoes mvovo.
14 Dec 2010, 16:41 pm
@Transformation : yeah i’ll get over it.
14 Dec 2010, 16:42 pm
@fsjakes : what was robert ebersonh – another JUNIOR player – earning around the same period you’ve covered?
14 Dec 2010, 16:43 pm
@>^..^< katman :
he’s only played 12 first class games.
just admit it, the lions have signed a nasty coniving underhanded greedy fckuker
14 Dec 2010, 16:51 pm
…to put movo’s career into perspective.
Hurdles…who none rate because he can’t do this and that and whatever.
Has played 2 full CC campaigns and a superrugby campaign….with 2 medals to show for it.
14 Dec 2010, 16:53 pm
I see mapoe got free board and lodging at the cheetah house as part of his package…
At the bulls we give our young players free board and lodging at the cougar house.
Is it any wonder the bulls harvest the cream of the crop
14 Dec 2010, 16:57 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl : If escaping Baas Verster’s farm labour camp makes him nasty, greedy, conniving and underhanded, then I guess you’re right. Shame on him.
14 Dec 2010, 16:59 pm
@gunther : Not to mention tea, sugar and cooking oil. The Vrystaters look after their volk.
14 Dec 2010, 17:00 pm
@>^..^< katman : I don;t much like harold Verster (he’s one of those Watson was talking about…) but the main difference between Connor is O’Connor proved his worth, whereas Mapoe has only proved his potential. Big difference. And, IMO, O’Connor has class, whereas Mapoe just has greed.
14 Dec 2010, 17:01 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl : wacko jaco has a lot of medals too, wynand and jaco pretorius too…it means diddly squat.
mossie was all class in a kak lions team, no medals…hurdles is just no there yet deal with it.
14 Dec 2010, 17:01 pm
but the main difference between Connor = the main difference between Mapoe and O’Connor
14 Dec 2010, 17:03 pm
Katman
Tea sugar and cooking oil?
Not in the same enamel mug I hope.
14 Dec 2010, 17:04 pm
what was robert ebersohn’s salary around the same time? was he getting the same pittance as mapoe?
14 Dec 2010, 17:05 pm
@gunther : Of course not. The tea and sugar come in a Shoprite bag.
14 Dec 2010, 17:10 pm
Katman.
No man.
In our house the tea and sugar come in packets.
They leave in shoprite bags.
14 Dec 2010, 17:11 pm
Lionel Mapoe got what he wanted, which was a ticket out of Bloemfontein.
I suspect Lionel got what most people want.
14 Dec 2010, 17:13 pm
@>^..^< katman : I’m not spinning a “sad story”, just merely relating what transpired. Surely you can’t compare James O’Conner who made his inetrnational debut at 18 with Lionel Mapoe, that’s just daft.
Also, to think that Mapoe was treated so much diffrently than any other rugby player that enters the system on a standard contract, shows some naivity.
@Transformation : I do not know what Eberson’s junior contract entailed. I am sure that it was more than that of Mapoe. But, that should hardly be surprising. Eberson was the stand-out player at Craven Week. He recieved offers from every major union in South Africa. So, surely he recieved a better contract than Mapoe when he first joined as a Cheetah junior player.
Do you think players William Small-Smith, Paul Jordaan, Graig Barry, Johan Goosen, etc who made huge impacts at Craven Week and played SA Schools will recieve better contracts tahn the rest of the average players who enter the system. The Grikwas Union will give 30 players junior contracts for next year, will alle players recieve the same as what Paul Jordaan was offered by the Sharks? And the “no-name” player that played CC week for the Lions (or the Bulls, EP, etc) but did not make the SA Schools side, but still recieves an offer from his union, will he recieve the same contract as the one who played SA Schools (and have more offers)? No.
So, sorry, to say Mapoe was cheated as a junior player is seriouslt naive. Do yourself a favor and phone your home union and ask them how their recruiting system works.
But, for interrest sake. I do know that Robert Eberson is currently on a R750 000/year contract from the Cheetahs. He recieved this offer THIS YEAR during the S14. So, he actually wasn’t treated much different from Mapoe. He on the other hand has played two full season’s of CC and S14 rugby .
14 Dec 2010, 17:13 pm
@gunther : by hook or crook…
14 Dec 2010, 17:18 pm
@fsjakes : I only used O’Connor as an example to illustrate how absurd it would be to expect a player like him to stay on a Junior contract, simply because he was a Junior. Because that’s what you’re expecting us to accept for Mapoe. The minute his play progresses beyond “talented youngster & one for the future”, his price tag should go up. It didn’t, because Verster is a cheap b@stard.
14 Dec 2010, 17:18 pm
Trans
Are you talking about the tea and sugar leaving my house or Lionel leaving flowerfountain?
14 Dec 2010, 17:22 pm
@fsjakes : i don’t know if mapoe played craven week or saschools but he played in the same u20 team as ebersohn in 2008, played in the same Sevens team and entered the Currie Cup around the same time as Ebersohn and had a bigger impact for the Cheetahs.
Surely Ebersohn’s contract CANNOT be that vastly dissimilar to Lionel’s.
14 Dec 2010, 17:24 pm
@Transformation :
it means they are proven performers who have commanded starting positions in campaigns throughout their careers.
certainly evaluated over more than 12 games anyway.
14 Dec 2010, 17:27 pm
Mark….unfortunately integrity is not an enforcable legal term. Unless it is specifically defined. Thats why I prefer dogs to people their loyalty is so much stronger and if you help them they will love you forever for doing so. Humans on the other hand….have become a very strange creature indeed. Our value systems are shot to hell.
14 Dec 2010, 17:29 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl : 154 the Blue Bulls initially valued Lionel at 1.4 million but didn’t sign him because he was contracted to the Cheetahs, good on them. upon knowing his “market value” the Cheetahs expected Lionel to stick around for less?
Rudolph Straueli was reported to have approached the Ebersohn boys to go to the Sharks, do you think they settled for the pittance Lionel was offered?
14 Dec 2010, 17:32 pm
@gunther : maevis is not a crook!
14 Dec 2010, 17:36 pm
@Transformation :
but just 3 months prior to all this Lionel was thrilled to be signed with the cheetahs at all….when no other union was interested in him.
don’t you think there is something unethical in there somewhere?
14 Dec 2010, 17:49 pm
Transie
Maevis is merely an exponent of art of the allocation of resources.
My resources are allocated to her pantry
She banks on me not saying anything because she thinks I feel guilty about apartheid.
14 Dec 2010, 18:02 pm
@Transformation : Mapoe did play Craven Week and yes, he did play in the same SA u/20 and sevens team as Robert. But, Robert made a much bigger impact than Mapoe at age group level and at sevens.
Robert also made his CC debut & S14 debuts a year earlier than Mapoe. Mapoe only joined the senior squad during the 2009 CC season. Robert played for the CC side in the 2008 CC, as well as 2009 S14 season. So, he actually made his the step up earlier than Mapoe. The reason being that he had a bigger impact at agre group level.
The other player from the Cheetahs who actually followed the same path as Robert and had a bigger impact than Mapoe was Wilton Peters. He also played for all same sides as the other two, and was promoted at same time as Robert. Unfortunately he had a serious, potetially career ending accident. He is currently also contracted with the Lions.
I will however agree with you that Mapoe did have a bigger impact when he did get his chance at senior level.
But, to come back:
You cannot fault the Cheetahs for their junior contract of Mapoe.
If you want to fault the Cheetahs you can the fact that he played half a CC season for the senior side while still on a junior contract. This was also the basis the on which Mapoe built his defence in the court cases, which he both lost. So legally, it was not wrong. But, you can definitely argue the moral side of that.
The turn side of this is: If the Cheetahs did not have the monet to up his salary immidiately (as they claimed), they should not have promoted him to the senior side. He should have finished the season as a u/21 player and when the Cheetahs finally did find the necessary sponsorship, only then should they have promoted him to the senior side.
If this was done, Mapoe would not even have been known by anyone (including you) at the end of last year. I also wonder what Mapoe would have chosen if he was given the choice?
I guess one can also question the Cheetahs R 750 000 contract they offered him. Unfortunately, this type of arguement will based on opinion. I, however, believe that there is an arguement to be made for players having to give back to unions who were willing to take a ris when no one else wanted you. Even if you think your value is incrased 100 000%.
14 Dec 2010, 18:05 pm
@fsjakes : Sorry for the many grammer mistakes… was in a rush
14 Dec 2010, 18:17 pm
Wait till Mapoe gets an overseas offer from Toulon or Racing at the end of next year for eur 1 million for 3 years and the whole sorry saga begins again.
Don’t try and tell me that it hasn’t crossed his mind.
He’s out to find his true worth alright.
14 Dec 2010, 18:26 pm
@I am a stormer : They wouldn’t pay him nearly that much. He’s not there yet, that’s what really gets me. He’s acting like Frans Steyn but without 30-odd Springbok Caps and a Wc gold medal.
In fact as said here, only 12 First class games.
Ridiculous.
14 Dec 2010, 18:27 pm
@gunther : guilt tripped into partying ways with your groceries?
hahaha serves you right
14 Dec 2010, 18:32 pm
@stormersboy :
I was just being facetious.
But now that he’s got a decent contract, it’s up to Mapoe to deliver from his side and put in some stellar performances.
14 Dec 2010, 18:33 pm
Transie
She thinks I have guilt.
Meanwhile I’m just nice guy
14 Dec 2010, 18:40 pm
Very interesting thread and comments.
I can safely say as a Stormers fan, that Mapoe is a money grabbing unscrupulous barsteward* who has bitten the hand who fed him twice (Sharks and Cheetahs) and will no doubt do the same to the Lions at some stage.
* unless of course he comes to the Stormers. Then of course I will take the same stance taken by all other supporters of the various unions have taken at various stages throughout this saga, and will say he is an all round good guy fighting for the rights of the oppressed everywhere.
14 Dec 2010, 18:45 pm
at the Lions I’d rather have Michael Killian and Mjekevu on the wings than Mapoe.
14 Dec 2010, 19:02 pm
Forget Mapoe, the Lions as a whole concerns me.
Seems they want to buy their way out of **** and for me it is not sustainable.
You build a team, you don’t buy one.
14 Dec 2010, 19:14 pm
@PissAnt :
True. You can end up with a dressing room full of over paid ego’s. Look at Man City.
14 Dec 2010, 19:25 pm
@JockBok : @PissAnt :
Think of the Transvaal ‘Dream machine’ cricket team of the 80′s. It took more than a decade to come right and become some sort of force in cricket again.
The Titans were the beneficiaries of the myopic stance of Transvaal cricket and have had the upper hand ever since.
Cheque book sides invariably don’t work.
14 Dec 2010, 19:27 pm
@I am a stormer :
Don’t even go that far back, look at the Bulls, it was built over time.
Only way this can work, is if they select a very strong captain, the likes they had last in Francois Pienaar.
14 Dec 2010, 20:00 pm
@fsjakes : you make a lot of baseless assumptions, first among those is the claim that i wouldn’t know lionel if he wasn’t played in the cc by the cheetahs when i told you earlier that lionel played in the u20 with the likes of ebersohn, duvenhage, frankie hougaard, koster etc…
14 Dec 2010, 20:50 pm
Why this long meaningless discussion about a 2nd rate province? Waste of databundles farken lions.
14 Dec 2010, 21:37 pm
@PissAnt : why should the Sharks be the only Real Madrid of SARugby? let the lions get frabchise pillars and THEN build around them…is there one foolproof universal way to build a rugby team?
14 Dec 2010, 22:59 pm
Of the three unions involved in this saga the Lions followed the correct protocol/procedures but it is the Lions being hammered in many posts. Can’t help but get the impression that some already fear what the Lions are about to become under Mitchell. The days of roll-over-Lions are over boys. They showed against the Sharks and Stormers in the second half of the CC what can be expected in 2011. The Lions will henceforth do unto others what others have done unto them … and that won’t go down well here I know. Lions bashing here will become the norm as it won’t be that easy on the field anymore. Bring it on!!!
14 Dec 2010, 23:23 pm
@Katsesnor : awesome my man….can only be good for sa rugby!!
15 Dec 2010, 12:49 pm
@Katsesnor :
When everyone is bashing you it means you’re important and they fear you.
Hence the reason why the Bulls, Sharks, Boks and New Zealanders are spoken about so often.
15 Dec 2010, 18:24 pm
@>^..^< katman : Jou ma is ‘n cheap b@stard
17 Dec 2010, 07:12 am
@Katsesnor :
The Lions took advantage of the love triangle between Sharks, Mapoe and FS which is fair enough in business.
However whilst their hands may be legally clean they are not clean.
It seems the negotiation took place between the Lions new investors and Mapoe in the flat the Sharks paid for when Mapoe had been given leave by the Sharks to visit his family in the Eastern Cape.
Unfortunately some dirt rubs off.
Make no mistake the Sharks beef is with Mapoe and not the Lions.
Hope they sue him.
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