PE in Sevens heaven
13 Apr 2011
Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has been announced as the venue for the South African leg of the Sevens World Series.
It was the predictable decision, one that the pundits had called since the bidding for the hosting rights opened last December. PE was dubbed the ‘politically correct’ choice because hosting the South African leg at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium would increase rugby interest in the region and would benefit the development of the sport, especially in the black areas of the Eastern Cape.
While there were several other unions, like SWD and the Leopards, that were competing, Cape Town was considered PE’s only realistic competitor in the bidding race because of its success of hosting international tournaments and festivals, its numerous tourism facilities and rugby tradition in the city. In Cape Town there was an opportunity to create a world-class tournament, similar to those in Hong Kong and London.
However, with EP Kings president Cheeky Watson seen at Saru’s offices prior to the official announcement, it was obvious that PE would be granted hosting rights. And so it was announced by Saru CEO Jurie Roux on Monday afternoon, but was it a ‘politically correct’ or a fair decision?
Roux declared it an ‘easy and clear-cut choice’ to appoint PE as the new hosts. Roux showed me the professional bid the EP Kings put forward (a thick, bound book which covered all Saru’s criteria). He described it as the ‘best bid made by all unions involved’.
‘This decision was actually confirmed by Saru and the IRB a few weeks ago already, but the IRB asked us to delay the announcement so it coincided with Australia’s new host city notification [the Australian Sevens leg has moved from Adelaide to Skilled Park in the Gold Coast],’ Roux told keo.co.za.
‘After nine years of the SA Sevens leg being hosted in George, it was time for a change for the greater good. George has served the country well but it was agreed that hosting the sevens tournament in PE would help with the development of the sport in the region.’
When a journalist queried whether Cape Town would have provided a more professional set-up than PE, Roux replied: ‘Are you saying that they are not professional?
‘Saru looked at this issue and critiqued all the bids according to our check list, that focuses on the venues, the city, the local municipality, government financial support and whether the stadium was spectator-friendly. EP met these requirements and it was a simple decision at the end of the day. Their bid was far more professional than WP’s bid.’
With PE also hosting the Springbok/All Blacks Tri-Nations Test on 20 August, Watson said these were great times for EP Rugby.
‘As president of EP, we would like the thank Saru and the IRB for their proactive decision,’ Watson said. ‘I would also like to thank the administrators, the municipality and the stadium officials for their help in presenting a professional bid.
‘We saw the revival of the Kings last year, a record crowd for the British & Irish Lions game in PE and a 45 000-strong crowd for the Currie Cup promotion/relegation play-off last season. There is a hunger for top-flight rugby in our region and it’s great to host the sevens as most of those players come from EP. We will do our best to make this sevens tournament a success.’
By Gareth Duncan
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68 Comments
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13 Apr 2011, 13:05 pm
Well done PE and EP Rugby!
13 Apr 2011, 13:14 pm
Seems as though EP put a very “Cheeky” bid in !
13 Apr 2011, 13:29 pm
Cape Town stadium really needed this bid, and would have placed our leg with the same prestige as the Hong Kong / London events.
But PE is probably best for Sarugby, especially in terms of development
13 Apr 2011, 13:34 pm
As if sleepy hollow George wasn’t enough of an infliction!
13 Apr 2011, 13:35 pm
@ali(ali)-3: PE. Wonder whether the large Cape Town fan base will travel that far?
13 Apr 2011, 13:35 pm
Should probably have gone to CT or Durban but ya nee.
Anything is better than George I suppose.
13 Apr 2011, 13:40 pm
oh well, probably only fair to give those all black supporters like rossoneri a chance to cheer without having to travel.
but congrats to PE.
13 Apr 2011, 13:43 pm
YES YES YES!!!!!! Yeeehhhhaaaa!
13 Apr 2011, 13:46 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-7:
Yip, she can even attend games without her false front teeth in and her AB outfit on and not raise too many eyebrows.
13 Apr 2011, 13:46 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-8: Dibs on your couch. No wait, dibs on Rossie’s couch…
13 Apr 2011, 13:48 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-8:
haha, congrats transie you lucky buggers will have plentsch to look forward to it seems.
and superrugby on the way too.
13 Apr 2011, 13:51 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-9: somehow i don think rosso is a swampdonkey.
otherwise transie wouldnt be hanging on her every word like a lovestruck skunk from a disney cartoon.
pepe transie le poo.
13 Apr 2011, 13:52 pm
What a load of cr@p…… P.E?!l
The Cape Town stadium must be a million times better and you could begin to get the same type of spectacle as Hong Kong. P.E?! Good grief…..
13 Apr 2011, 13:56 pm
What a load of ****!
This is very clearly politicallly motivated!
CT stadium is both better equipped and unused, so more reason to use it for a Sevens Tournament (as the Kings play in Ep all the time) and Cape Town is a pace more suited to the Sevens vibe, like Hong Kong, Las Vegas…
IRB wanted it moved cos George was too small, and now they’ve gone an put it in another ****-hole
What a waste of time!
13 Apr 2011, 13:56 pm
The post of mine doesn’t even make sense…. Still. P.E?!!!!!!!
What a meant to say is if they wanted a tournament to rival the Hong Kong sevens Cape Town would be a million times better.
Personally I won’t be travelling to P.E to watch a game there. P.E can bite me.
13 Apr 2011, 13:57 pm
watch all the haters gather to spew forth their bile tl tl tl…
13 Apr 2011, 13:57 pm
Cheeky Twatson must be ululating in celebration as we speak!
13 Apr 2011, 14:01 pm
From what I hear the CPT bid was absolutely pathetic. Apparently a couple of pages stapled together…
13 Apr 2011, 14:04 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-18:
quite right.
they should have used a paperclip.
13 Apr 2011, 14:06 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-19:
13 Apr 2011, 14:10 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-18: Really? That makes me even more the moer in….
The City of Cape Town keep complaining about what to do with that frieken white elephant and then they don’t even do a professional job on the bid…
Sigh…. Don’t know why I’m so pissed off at this. Probably because I dreamt of taking my son to that stadium for a awesome 7′s tournament….
Oh well…. Congrads to you Eastern Cape okes. I’m going to support the Bulls from now on. Seems everything rugby related I support we lose. Oh wait, the Bulls are losing all on their own.
13 Apr 2011, 14:11 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-18: apparently the CT bid lost pts for overuse of certain terms including:
shoo-wah man
like
the mountain
wow
awesome
jou ma se….
13 Apr 2011, 14:19 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-22:
apparently the nail in the coffin was Granties tender for the half-time entertainment.
the panel was concerned that his and Just amaRugby’s interpretative african modern dance narrative performed in a nguni speedo might prove inaccessible to an overseas audience.
PE promised Mango Groove.
Game
Set
and Match.
13 Apr 2011, 14:20 pm
WE WON!!!!! YEAH!!!! Great stuff PE.
13 Apr 2011, 14:22 pm
Here’s an idea.
just a shot in the dark……………………………………………..but.
Why don’t YOU all WAIT and see how things go in PE.
Before pronouncing your doom and gloom.
I actually quite liked the George I watched on TV.
Something different.
13 Apr 2011, 14:23 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-24:
Go girl.
13 Apr 2011, 14:24 pm
@cane(cane)-26:
There should be a smilie with that………………………….
13 Apr 2011, 14:24 pm
@cane(cane)-25: Cane, the reason why they didn’t want George to have it, is because it became a strong “home ground” for New Zealand. See below:
Past host venues and winners of the SA Sevens tournament:
Year
Venue
Winner
2010
George
New Zealand
2009
George
New Zealand
2008
George
South Africa
2007
George
New Zealand
2006
George
New Zealand
2005
George
Fiji
2004
George
New Zealand
2003
George
England
2002
George
Fiji
2001
Durban
New Zealand
2000
Durban
New Zealand
13 Apr 2011, 14:26 pm
@cane(cane)-25:
George was awesome.
I particularly liked the way a number of the locals took the time and effort to abuse our national team.
13 Apr 2011, 14:27 pm
SARU Media Release
Port Elizabeth named as new host of SA Sevens event
Port Elizabeth will host the South African leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, after coming out as clear winners in a competitive tendering process.
The announcement was made by the South African Rugby Union in Cape Town on Wednesday after the recommendation of a tender committee was accepted by the SARU Executive Council.
The inaugural Port Elizabeth event will be hosted at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in early December this year – and the winning bidders are already forecasting a sold-out event.
“I am delighted to be able to confirm that Port Elizabeth will host the SA Sevens for the next four years,” Jurie Roux, SARU CEO, told a media conference in Cape Town on Wednesday.
“We received some outstanding bids, but the panel came to the unanimous conclusion that the tender provided by the Eastern Province Kings and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was a clear winner.
“We measured them against four broad criteria – event hosting capacity; brand building potential for Sevens and SARU; commercial promise and budgetary viability – and their attention to detail in answering each one was outstanding.
“They not only satisfied the standards that we expected from all the bidders, they went the extra mile to research exactly what players, spectators and other stakeholders require and provided innovative solutions for each one.
“The Panel was convinced that Port Elizabeth will produce an absolutely outstanding tournament, based on this document. I’m looking forward to attending the first Port Elizabeth Sevens in December – I’m sure they’re going to take the event to another level.”
Mr Roux thanked the South Western Districts Rugby Union and the City of George for their work and success in hosting the tournament for the past nine seasons. He said that was reflected in the interest that had been generated among unions by the invitation to tender.
The other bidding unions were the Leopards, Pumas, South Western Districts and Western Province.
Cheeky Watson, the president of the Eastern Province Kings, said he was delighted by the outcome.
“We prepared an outstanding tender to deliver an outstanding tournament and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “Port Elizabeth and the whole of the Eastern Cape will be very excited about this decision and we can now begin to mobilise to deliver a memorable experience for the international rugby family.
“I’d like to thank the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for their assistance in preparing the Bid and advise my team that the hard work starts today.”
The decision was welcomed by the International Rugby Board: “This is an exciting new chapter in South Africa’s long-standing relationship with Sevens Rugby and the HSBC Sevens World Series,” said IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset.
“On behalf of the international rugby family, and especially those who participated there, I would like to thank the city and the people of George for hosting South Africa’s event for nine years, and helping it to grow. We now look forward to the Sevens in a wonderful new stadium in Port Elizabeth and wish the organisers every success,” he added.
The IRB will confirm the dates of the Port Elizabeth event as well as of the rest of the HSBC Sevens World Series for 2011/12 in due course.
Fact File: SA Sevens tournament:
· South Africa hosted the first tournament of the inaugural Sevens World Series in 1999 at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch
· Durban was the venue for the following two SA Sevens events in 2000 & 2001
· Outeniqua Park in George played host to the popular event for the first time in 2002 and went on to stage the tournament for nine consecutive years
· Port Elizabeth will be the fourth SA venue to host the international tournament
· New Zealand has won the SA Sevens tournament seven times
· The Kiwi’s won both Durban-based tournaments in 2001 & 2002 and achieved their first of five George victories in 2004
· South Africa’s only home success came in 2008, the season they won their first Sevens World Series title
13 Apr 2011, 14:28 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-28:
Looks like Durban was okay for NZ as well.
13 Apr 2011, 14:29 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-29: Those guys were out of order G. Totally out of order.
13 Apr 2011, 14:30 pm
Would of liked Cape Town to get it but well done P.E.
13 Apr 2011, 14:30 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-29:
Looks like the “LOCALS” have paid a heavy price for expressing themselves.
13 Apr 2011, 14:31 pm
@cane(cane)-31: Yeah Gordon Tietjiens keeps grooming more and more devastating 7′s players. You don’t understand about George. DJ Forbes is a hero to that crowd, and they are awfully rude and disrespectful to the 7′s boks.
13 Apr 2011, 14:32 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-32:
Indeed.
But they did it every year.
**** George.
I’m glad PE have won it.
Good luck to them
13 Apr 2011, 14:33 pm
@cane(cane)-34: I think if they only cheered for NZ it would be one thing, but they spew insults at the 7′s boks with equal vigour, and that is the problem. They make the tournament unpleasant for people.
13 Apr 2011, 14:34 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-36: Thanks. I’m delighted about this.
13 Apr 2011, 14:48 pm
Wa ha ha … i’m loving the responses … the mountain is crumbling boys, better start coming up with some new attractions.
Gotta love the comment above here … PE uses their stadium, CT doesn’t so it should have gone to them. Priceless.
Anybody stop to consider that accommodation etc. at that time of the year might just be a problem in CT. Nah, you see that would be thinking.
13 Apr 2011, 14:51 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-20: The ANC submitted on behlaf of the DA to compromise DA support.
13 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
Well done PE, bravo! I knew you could beat those brokebacks easily … let them find other ways to use their white elephant stadium.
13 Apr 2011, 14:57 pm
many many Vaalies will be ‘spending’ December in PE, yes it is true the EC is so much nicer than that muggy place where the locals run around in a drunken state stabbing each other with beer bottles on the so called golden mile.
13 Apr 2011, 14:59 pm
congrate pe!
13 Apr 2011, 15:05 pm
@Roar Loud(RL)-42: good riddance i say.
you and your tannie can go eat vetkoek in pe and have a fat filled suntan oil smearing competition with the rest of your clan
13 Apr 2011, 15:06 pm
@Roar Loud(RL)-42:
we would only be too happy for you vaalies to move on.
staying in caravan parks and bringing frozen food in your venter trailer is not the boost to the western cape economy you think it is.
plus you smell bad.
13 Apr 2011, 15:07 pm
Is this purely a SA rugby decision or does the series sponsor/sponsors have some input. If so, I guess Emirate will be organizing some additional flight to PE airport.
Perhaps Emirates will even become the national carrier. They might have buttered up the board. From an events planning POV, CT should have had it. For the progression and development of rugby, you can deduce it has some political undertones.
13 Apr 2011, 15:10 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-45: plus it will be wonderful to not have to feel bad every time a drunken crayfish looking chappie stumbles past in a soiled lions jersey.
and they call us rooinekke
13 Apr 2011, 15:12 pm
i wonder what fool chose to rebrand vodacom red?
clearly not a rugby fan.
13 Apr 2011, 15:12 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-47:
lion red I think plascon call it.
13 Apr 2011, 15:13 pm
I am taking my tow truck, my caravan and my Venter to the friendly city …
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