Saru seeking lifeline for Lions
16 Aug 2012
The South African Rugby Union’s leadership says they have committed to finding alternative competitions for the Lions to participate in, including exploring the possibility of their inclusion in the European Cup.
On Thursday it was announced that the Lions would be the franchise to drop out of Super Rugby in 2013 in order for the Kings to be accommodated. This will leave the Johannesburg franchise without a high level of competition from the start of 2013 through to August, at which stage they’ll have a promotion-relegation play-off against the last-placed side in the South African conference.
The implications of this situation for the Lions are wide-ranging, the most significant of which is that their best players, many of whom are only have a couple of months to run on their contracts, will seek to play elsewhere.
Keo.co.za can confirm that the Lions’ leadership has already engaged their senior players on the idea of a loan to another franchise for 2013, in a bid to retain them. Whether this ploy succeeds remains to be seen.
Saru, represented by president Oregan Hoskins and CEO Jurie Roux at a press briefing in Cape Town, has insisted it is working to increase the options available to the Lions and their players.
‘The amount of work that went into trying to trying to find alternatives – entry into competitions in Europe, trying to get new structures in place [in Super Rugby, that is, changing the format to include an additional team] – just trying to get a better position for the franchise that was going to fall out, was continuous over the last six months,’ Roux said.
‘We reached the point where we couldn’t postpone this decision any longer but that doesn’t mean we can’t still find some form of competition for the Lions. That will be a tough task and maybe it will be a downgraded competition. We’ve been speaking to IRB about possible inclusion into the European Cup, the Nations Cup and Pacific Cup, just to provide an opportunity. We’ll even hope that somehow we can convince Sanzar that whatever [expansion] is happening post 2015 can be brought forward to 2014. We’d need to convince the broadcasters and partners and we’ll certainly try to at our next meeting.’
The financial implications for the Lions are self-evident, with a loss of gate, advertising and merchandising revenue (among other income streams) to seriously affect their bottom line. They already find themselves in a perilous financial state following the Guma Group’s withdrawal from the franchise and lengthy legal battles with franchise partners, the Pumas and Leopards.
However, Roux said they were open to discussing means of assisting the franchise financially.
‘We’ve got an agreed upon funding model that was decided in November 2009. It includes all six franchises. That runs through to 2015, so irrespective of whether you are playing Super Rugby or not you are still getting your share of the broadcasting revenue,’ he said.
‘No decision has been made on any additional funding. We need to look at how we can assist at keeping the Lions running so that they are able to compete should they win promotion in 2013.’
Roux also didn’t rule out the possibility of the Lions negotiating a merger with another franchise, although this is a highly unlikely scenario.
‘Initially there was a lot of discussion about the possible merger or whoever dropped out would go into a merger with the Kings for the rest of the period of the contract. [If] that happens is up to the Lions and the Kings. They are official franchises and should run their business accordingly,’ he said.
Roux added that the possibility that the Lions could challenge the decision legally, but said he hoped that wouldn’t happen.
Asked to assess their leadership on a saga that became incredibly messy and embarrassing for South African rugby, Hoskins said: ‘South African rugby is a tough terrain. We have passionate constituencies and it is always a more challenging environment than our Australasian partners. We’ve got to do the best we can.
‘We’ve done a lot of soul searching around this. The issue of the Spears goes back to 2005 so until now we’ve tried. Under all these circumstances it is the best we could do.’
By Ryan Vrede
90 Comments
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17 Aug 2012, 01:07 am
@aliboy-49:
Fly 10 hours to play one of the weakest SA teams at altitude?
Yeah right
17 Aug 2012, 02:26 am
This looks bad news for SA Rugby. You are going to loose a lot of talent to overseas clubs
17 Aug 2012, 02:57 am
Keo, Saru has proved, time and again, that it cannot organise the proverbial piss-up in a brewery, so why would anyone with half a brain place any store on their efforts to ‘seek a lifeline for the Lions? Saru personifies useless half-wits, the lunatics are running the asylum.
17 Aug 2012, 04:44 am
South african players are going to ensure clauses are included into their contracts for realease upon their franchise being demoted…so they can go to the promoted franchise. Loaning is a good strategy….when it comes to the peomotion demotion playoff recall your loan players.
17 Aug 2012, 06:02 am
It must be about loot. It’s certainly not about the best for SA rugby! Instead of the Lions management getting a share of the Super cash, it’s now Kings (read Cheeky & his pals including keow). Lions have never really tried to be better, sticking with creaking old structures and dinosaur management. I feel for players like Doppies, Strauss, Minnie et al who put their bodies on the line for the amusement and financial benefit of their managers. Will Kings be any different; I doubt it.
17 Aug 2012, 07:29 am
How big a knock will all the lost revenue from super rugby for a year be for the lions?
Can they absorb that?
17 Aug 2012, 09:53 am
Am I reading this right?
SARU in their arrogance, assured all SA’n franchises a place in Super Rugby irrespective of the fact they had no agreement from their partners.
Just imagine the eyebrow raising such a suggestion would garner if a NH country suggested they were working to have SANZAR accomodate some loser outfit because their administors woke up with a hard on one day and promised something they couldn’t deliver.
17 Aug 2012, 10:05 am
@I am a stormer-18: Tacitus stays in Southernwood, East London. An old **** with no good life prospects, dead end Moaner.
17 Aug 2012, 10:31 am
@XhosaKid-58: tac is a very intelligent commentor whether you agree with him or not.
you would do well to respect yourself a little more.
17 Aug 2012, 10:40 am
And you are a BEE space filler who delivers credit cards to the idle rich.
17 Aug 2012, 10:45 am
At least I have good future prospects
17 Aug 2012, 10:46 am
Promotion to cheque book deliveries?
From there it’s a short hop to Minister of Finance.
17 Aug 2012, 11:12 am
Lions are kak, they don’t deserve to be in Super Rugby, they have done jacksh#t in 10 years, time to give another franchise a chance. As for Lions playing in Europe, they will be slaughtered, best to focus on Vodacom Cup for a while.
17 Aug 2012, 11:29 am
SARU can’t organize a bonk in a brothel…
17 Aug 2012, 11:33 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-4:
Lions should be raided by the bigger unions (even further) and made to languish in the Currie Cup.
17 Aug 2012, 12:01 pm
@gunther-62:
naughty gunther
@RedCard-64:
can the lions do the same..?..
17 Aug 2012, 12:11 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-66: Off course, but unfortunately my Lions are mostly on the receiving end of it…
17 Aug 2012, 12:15 pm
@RedCard-67:
so they can organise a bonk in a brothel but they’d be the ones getting bonked..?..
hehehe
17 Aug 2012, 12:17 pm
i can see how that kinda organisational skills could land you in a lot of trouble.
17 Aug 2012, 12:25 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-68: The only difference in this regard is that if you are on the receiving end one usually should take some money afterwards… Don’t think that’s going to happen though…
17 Aug 2012, 12:41 pm
Strange, the sun still came up this morning.
Seems the world didn’t end, despite the Kings being given Super Rugby status.
17 Aug 2012, 12:54 pm
With a comment like that I’m now glad your team never made the Super 15 final.
17 Aug 2012, 13:21 pm
@cjgrove-65:
Who gives a rats, what you think, Kings will be an outcast of sarugby supporters and a lot of supporters will shout for AUS and NZ teams to beat them.
17 Aug 2012, 13:23 pm
catrakillis is a transformation player?
i know the greeks are basically white turks after the ottomans got ahold of their women but i dont think they will take kindly to this.
i expect a lot of plate smashing.
17 Aug 2012, 15:04 pm
This is a tragedy for the lions but they are partially to blame for the mess they are in and have to suffer the consequences of their actions.I do not think for one minute the kings will be any better and will be last on the log in super rugby as the lions were,they will bring absolutely nothing to super rugby,talk about a quota decision.
17 Aug 2012, 15:30 pm
its quite simple really.if u take away all the bullshit,provincialism and capitalism and think purely in rugby terms the super 15 is a league and if u end up last u leave whether it be the bulls.stormers or sharks.
So sorry Lions u pussiesfcuk off and give the kings their chance
17 Aug 2012, 15:31 pm
What I found interesting is the outcry about a freight train that was hurtling down the tract for 5 years already. Now suddenly everyone is totally shocked. How typical of “Utopians” that saw but didn’t wanted to acknowledge an inevitable decision like this. After all, once has to acknowledge that this is SARU and it has in the past, again and again, made very strange decisions with no sense of consistency.
If this is a financial decision then it makes total sense. The GLRU is barely making money, if any and attendance for a big city like Johannesburg has been shocking for years. If the PE area is rugby hungry then there will be a better chance of financial success than JHB. It is a gamble worth taking from a business prospective.
If this is a transformation decision then it also makes sense in the long run. Although they may not have the players now it could inspire younger players of the region to strive for local greatness and pride in their region’s team. It is a gamble worth taking.
If this is a rugby decision then I feel SARU failed miserably because didn’t go far enough and as Pissant said, they have no clear vision for rugby in SA. First, to give the Kings just 1 year to establish themselves and get good players is ridiculous. It is a setup for failure. No sensible professional player with long term dreams of making rugby a career will become a mercenary player. Only over the hill has-beens will do that. The fact that Toulon has succeeded with this kind of growth policy is because of some crazy Frenchman with too much money and lots of rugby passion. It won’t work in the corrupted world of Eastern Cape politics/rugby. Second, if SARU has the power to make decision like this then why not also merge the Bulls and the Lions? Why have 2 teams that are only 50 kilometers apart? Geographically it makes perfect sense from a rugby and financial viewpoint. SA is too small from a spectator and support point of view to have the luxury of 2 teams in the same and smallest province. That has been proven the past 10 years with the Lions. Individual team history is not important since SARU is supposed to look for forward not backwards. But seeing that there is no chance of the Bulls merging with the Lions, the Lions will probably become extinct in the near future from a S15 view. And even if they are to be included in a future S16 or S20 the competition will just become watered down with more mediocre teams.
Notwithstanding the usual pessimism that rules this website let’s hope rugby still has a long life and stays a game we can enjoy and appreciate. After all it is just a game to enjoy not oxygen.
17 Aug 2012, 15:41 pm
@Amerifikaner-77:
Probably the most objective comment on the subject thus far.
Now brace yourself for the frothing, irrational masses (mostly from above the vaal)
17 Aug 2012, 15:53 pm
@Amerifikaner-77: Ja, I don’t know where the outcry from the lions union came from.Their supporters all seem to know that they only have themselves to blame. They’ve come ‘last’ 6/7 seasons, what did they even get out of super rugby in the first place.
It remains to be seen what EP Kings can do with one year, or even three years for that matter. There are LOADs of current top players from that region playing elsewhere, and until recently EP were one of the bigger provinces(way better than the banana boys, remember Danie Gerber). If they can make it work, then SA rugby will benefit.
17 Aug 2012, 15:57 pm
@shebeen-79: i counted 6 players from the region in the Bulls team alone
17 Aug 2012, 16:11 pm
@TooMuchRugby-80: The Sharks have 7
17 Aug 2012, 17:57 pm
I don’t know.
But looks like the problem goes back to …the GLRU and JHB metro.. not getting together and fixing the stadium – Ellispark…. getting it up to standard. For supporters to want to go there.
One of the most major differences between the Bulls and the Lions – looks at the bank account.
Full stadiums pay the players, the coaches and programs.
So it goes back along way. Or did Louis Luyt leave with all the money? Or was he the last good news the Lions had. Or was he bankrolling the Lions.
Will Ellispark park be there in 10 years’ time?
17 Aug 2012, 18:58 pm
@ 77 Amerikifaner, well said and add to that the fact that the lions sealed their own fate by ending stonefarkinglast AGAIN in 2012. Also the kings should given at least 3yrs in sr, while the lions slowly disappear from sa rugby scene.
17 Aug 2012, 19:08 pm
@shebeen-79:
> until recently EP were one of the bigger provinces
Don’t get your hopes up, EP has never even played in a Currie Cup final
18 Aug 2012, 07:32 am
“…while the lions slowly disappear from sa rugby scene.”
In your dreams Slappes. We’ll be back and when we return, we will be stronger than before. The only ones doing the disappearing act will be the entitlement boys from PE.
Ultimately, a province widely regarded as the most corrupt in the country – and housing a rugby union that has done fokkal…that’s right, fokkal…won fokkal of value…in its history will sink without a trace when weighed up against a rugby union in the heart of South Africa’s – and the continent’s – economic engine.
Yes, we’ll be gone next season, but long term there is only one loser: the bankrupt, corrupt, nepotistic, ****** useless Eastern Cape and its entitlement Kings.
Enjoy 2013, it’s all you’ll ever get. From then on, it’s merit, promotion/relegation stuff, no more crying to the government, demanding what you don’t deserve.
Those days are over, mate…and with them, the Kings.
18 Aug 2012, 08:50 am
If the Lions are dropped from Super Rugby and the Kings are put in their place, we should all stay away from the Kings games, and makes sure Saru suffers financially. Stay away guys.. Lets start some activism against Saru’s arrogance. Rugby fans should not be intimidated by these ********, after all, the fans are the ones who pays their ample salaries.. Hit it where it hurts most! The new struggle is about to begin!
18 Aug 2012, 09:34 am
@Joe Maher-85: Well said, Joe. Corrupt crooks, the lot of them. How many millions have been pumped into that “union” in the last decade?
Bunch of thieves.
@phearlessphred-86: Couldn’t agree with you more.
BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT.
18 Aug 2012, 11:41 am
@Amerifikaner-77: There are some complete truths in what you say that cannot be ignored…..but there are also some questionable statements that….if you don’t mind I’d like to take umbrage with….
1. “If this is a financial decision this make total sense” – Nope……it doesn’t. Yes the Golden Lions have been running at a loss with their pathetic attendance and the rubbish results they’ve had for the past 4-5 seasons……BUT…….the Eastern Cape is one of the poorest regions in the country…..and how long do you think it’s going to take the rugby watching public to fall OUT of love with a team that’s taking a hammering week in and week out? No-one is going to shell out their hard earned rands to pay for tickets to watch a 3rd bunch of no-hopers get smashed 87-3…..it will only be a matter of time before the wonderful new stadium is empty…..while the rubbish Kings play in front of nothing more than empty seats and dust bunnies.
So….no…..not a good financial decision.
2. “If this is a transformation decision it also makes sense”….. How? It will take 10 years at least before the kids in the region begin to stay and play for the Kings…..so this in the short term (and this all the Kings are….short term) is going to do nothing for transformation. In turn……the Kings will be taking a huge paycheck from SARU and going on a shopping spree…..buying other franchises players. This now weakens the other franchises – especially if they manage to garner some big name players. So we now have an overall slightly weaker South African contingent playing in the Super15 just for the sake of forcing the Kings into it……and in all likelihood just for a single season….as we all can’t see them winning their promotion/relegation match at the end of the season.
So no…..this is a very short term thing and wont do anything for transformation.
3. Where I agree with you completely is in your assessment of SARU….and just how little it’s done for rugby in SA….along with it’s ZERO outlook for the future of the sport. Their planning and long term idea’s for the sport are putrid….but then what could we expect from a bunch of incompetent politically appointed muppets?
If SA Rugby is too survive and prosper…..this lot need to be thrown out into the street on their collective ears….and we need to bring in proper rugby men with a love of the game the best interests of the sport at heart to administrate. SARU should be a vocation…..not just a job.
Rugby is without question the most successful sporting code in the country and the most financially successful sport without peer.
In normal business a company of this financial magnitude would only accept top successful executive to run it……sadly we employ muppets due to political influence…..
Only in Africa…….only in Africa……
19 Aug 2012, 22:14 pm
Do we know for who the individual unions voted?
20 Aug 2012, 15:13 pm
@Dwarslat-89: The 2 who did not vote for the EC: Saaarks and Bulls.
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