Lions give Kings the finger
21 Sep 2012
The Lions have turned down the Kings’ request to loan some of their players for Super Rugby next year.
The Kings confirmed in a statement on Friday that they had tried without success to sign several Lions players for their debut Super Rugby run next season. It’s likely that the Kings will face the Lions in a promotion-relegation play-off after the tournament (the last-placed South African franchise will have to compete for survival).
This is one of the reasons why the Eastern Cape franchise has asked Saru to lift its foreign player regulations, which only allow teams to field two non-South African players. It’s rumoured that the Kings are looking to recruit several Argentine and New Zealand players.
The Kings have also used other recruitment issues to motivate this request, which have occurred because of Saru’s delayed announcement of their Super Rugby status in August. At the time of the confirmation, the European window period for signing players had closed (interested South African players are only available in May 2013) and local players whose contracts expired this year had already agreed new deals.
The ARU made an exception to the foreign player regulations when the Melbourne Rebels made their Super Rugby debut in 2011.
Meanwhile, the Kings also revealed their plans for transformation.
They were unsuccessful in their attempts to retain most of their local talent without the attraction of Super Rugby. However, there are a number of players from their local academy who will be part of the Super Rugby squad in 2013. Fullback Soyiswapi Siviwe, wing Yamkela Ngam, lock Kuhle Sonkosi, prop Lizo Gqoboka, flank Thembelani Bholi and centre Shane Gates have all been identified as young players who are ready to make the step up.
In terms of developing future black players, the statement read: ‘We have been very vocal about our desires to develop and promote local talent, and in particular to accelerate the transformation of South African rugby and to develop quality black Springboks. As a result we have put a strong focus on developing and maintaining an academy, which is made up of predominantly home grown talent, with a strong commitment to a bottom-up transformation strategy.’
129 Comments
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22 Sep 2012, 14:58 pm
go ab you beauty!
whoohoooo, like watching a cartoon skop skiet and donner.
22 Sep 2012, 14:59 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-99:
ok maybe i am getting carried away hahahahahaha
22 Sep 2012, 15:00 pm
ab out.
oh the treachery
22 Sep 2012, 15:03 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-89:
Haven’t you guys heard there’s a new form of transport called an aeroplane?
22 Sep 2012, 15:04 pm
do the sri lanksand have the coolest names in world cricket?
wicket. bleak faf fails again but he had a crack.
22 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
Faf du Plessis is actually pretty mediocre.
22 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
@David-104: mentioned that david.
how expensive do you think that would be?
not really an option bud.
22 Sep 2012, 15:07 pm
nice finish JP!
pretty good target set, lets see how the lankis go here.
22 Sep 2012, 15:16 pm
wp in for a long day here
22 Sep 2012, 15:17 pm
Ou Honey Humping (in the) Box is still but a Wooden spoon.
22 Sep 2012, 15:28 pm
@rangerman-107: Depends how many players need to travel. They could get sponsorship from one of the local airlines.
22 Sep 2012, 15:32 pm
@David-111: are you really wanting to explore this avenue of making a natal ep alliance viable?
seriously david?
go research the types of air traffic between durbs and pe and then ask yourself how much it would cost bud.
natal has to go it alone due to geography. thats a fact.
22 Sep 2012, 15:34 pm
If it is as easy as just hopping on a flight than it would be just as easy for WP and EP to join up as a franchise….
22 Sep 2012, 15:36 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-113:
or bulls and wp?
22 Sep 2012, 15:37 pm
@rangerman-114: match made in heaven.
22 Sep 2012, 15:37 pm
Why would you have to fly to training etc?
Just put the players up in nice accommodation for the duration of the tourney.
Im sure they could fit the EC boys in somewhere at Zimbali?
Crazy stuff .
22 Sep 2012, 15:40 pm
@gunther-116: haha, ja gunts i am sure the players will love being away from home for 6 mnths.
22 Sep 2012, 15:42 pm
@rangerman-117:
It’s pro sport baby.
22 Sep 2012, 15:46 pm
@gunther-118: yes it is.
and we are happily pro in durbs.
22 Sep 2012, 15:46 pm
ok i am out.
tjorts.
22 Sep 2012, 15:48 pm
I like this idea of the Stormers and the Bulls merging.
The flight path between Gauteng and CT is a very well used one. There are many cheap flights on offer.
Plus we are told the players can stay over for 6 months, pro sport and all that.
I think the Bulls players will fit in perfectly in Cape Town.
Can’t see how anyone can object as this idea is perfect.
22 Sep 2012, 16:20 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-121:
Whatever you say spooner.
22 Sep 2012, 16:40 pm
Seems I am missing a local joke.
22 Sep 2012, 18:20 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-81: Jaa and unlike the Lions the Sharks actually shared that cash with their partners
23 Sep 2012, 01:35 am
What everyone seems to forget when arguing that the Eastern Cape was ‘promised’ Super Rugby is that they had it. They formed part of the Sharks franchise and chose to take the mopney and run. Their choice.
Add to this the entitlement argument and it’s easy to understand why so many – me included – have fokkol time for the Kings and hope they sink without a trace.
Now Griquas, there’s a more worthy union.
23 Sep 2012, 05:57 am
@Joe Maher-125: “What everyone seems to forget when arguing that the Eastern Cape was ‘promised’ Super Rugby is that they had it. They formed part of the Sharks franchise”
we “had it” alright, in much the same way Boland is ‘part’ of the Stormers franchise, yet f.okkol development happens in Wellington! Even when Boland have a gem of a player like Willie le Roux WP ignore him & contract Burton Francis.
The association with the Sharks was a fruitless one and all they did was entice our players to defect to Durban.
SARU approved the formation of the South Eastern Cape franchise in 2005 so yours is a moot point.
23 Sep 2012, 08:58 am
@Transformation-126: If you were a better rugby region, then you would have been the WP and the Sharks would have been the Boland in your franchise. This argument of yours is like the Pumas bitching about not being the premier partner in their franchise, and playing the political/race blackmail card until they are.
If there’s one thing that South Africans are sick and tired of, it’s We Must Have It. Anyone who uses this to get what they want can kiss any sympathy goodbye. And I certainly wish nothing but miserable failure upon the Kings. Which is a real pity for the decent rugby loving supporters and players in the region – they were fcked over by rampant Watsonism.
23 Sep 2012, 09:15 am
@katman-127:
Louis Luyt created the regions. What’s interesting is that during the Cats period, Free State had a better CC record than the Lions, even though the Lions were supposedly the senior partner. Which was one of the reasons the Cheetahs pulled out.
24 Sep 2012, 00:59 am
Really it should read : “Lions give Kings the Paw”
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