Transforming the way we think
15 Oct 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day newspaper column, writes that the story of the Kings should be about hope and not ridicule.
The South African Rugby Union has never believed in the Eastern Cape as anything but an irritation to professional rugby but also a corporate cash cow in the name of development.
If any within the current administration refutes this then I challenge them to publicly apologise to the region for the way in which entry to Super Rugby was finalised and to apologise for making the Kings hated among a certain sector of provincial South African fan because they replaced a South African team, in the form of the Lions.
Saru’s apathy to the Eastern Cape needs to consistently be challenged. It has always been this way since professionalism in 1996. Saru, when convenient, uses the Eastern Cape as the missing link to a rugby rainbow nation but those with the responsibility within Saru have never had the heart and intent to make it the link. Instead all love for the Eastern Cape has been commercially and politically motivated.
It is disgusting. It has always been disgusting. It won’t easily change.
The Kings, on Super Rugby entry, should have been the good-news story of unity. It should have been fully endorsed because in a united rainbow nation it is very necessary to have a team from within the Eastern Cape in Super Rugby’s biggest southern hemisphere tournament. The Kings, representative of rugby in the Eastern Cape, should have been the missing link to show the game has finally transformed, not in black playing numbers, but by way of the thinking among administrators, supporters and the media in South Africa.
The backlash, resentment and resistance to the Kings suggests there is more than one link missing in a united South Africa and a united South African rugby structure.
Equally disturbing is how so many supporters refuse to see the significance of the Eastern Cape within the context of a healthy professional South African rugby international presence.
The administration has never surprised me. They have neither the intellectual capital nor the charisma (as individuals or a collective) to inspire. The game’s growth needs pioneers and instead the conveyer belt only produces pensioners, if not by age then certainly by way of enthusiasm and aspiration.
The administration of South African rugby has allowed for an emotional distaste for the Kings among supporters that is misplaced.
The Kings have not replaced the Lions in Super Rugby. They were given introduction to the tournament in place of the South African team that has been the worst performer in Super Rugby in 2012. Not historically, but only this year.
The Lions supporters really have to blame their players, coaches and the Lions administration that the Lions were the ones to make way. The Lions were the architects of their own demise, however temporary it may be.
Saru’s leadership, throughout the last year, have allowed for the resentment from those supporters to fester into something ugly. Not once has a voice within Saru preached perspective and done it with conviction. The platitudes have been that the Kings would play Super Rugby because it was best for South African rugby; that the decision was about transformation and had to be made.
What a cop out.
Transformation is in the way we should be thinking, not in how many black friends we have or how many black players the provincial or regional or national coach selects.
Transformation should be about the right kind of change and not change for the sake of change.
The Kings, as an entity, should have reflected the change of thinking in South African rugby but it has only reinforced how little has changed in the thinking within the game in this country.
Alan Solomons, formerly as EP head coach and now director of rugby, has done an unrivalled job with the EP Kings when you unemotionally consider what he has transformed about Eastern Province rugby in the last four years.
Those who disagree with me will do so on emotion and by way of not having been privy to the transformation, as a rugby entity, from four years ago.
Before you rant and accuse me of being on the Kings payroll, take a drive or get on bus, train or plane and sit with Solomons and do your own analysis of what has been achieved over the last four years.
There is so much vitriol aimed at the Kings because of Saru’s refusal to endorse change and absolute conviction that Sanzar would accommodate a sixth South African team.
The vitriol should be at those who govern our game, not the Kings, who on Saturday won the Currie Cup First Division in a titanic struggle against the Pumas.
To borrow from an American president, those within South African rugby should ask not what the Kings can do for them but more what Saru, as the custodians of the game in this country, could have done for the Kings.
Currently they have done nothing but set them up for Super Rugby failure and sadly they’ve hoodwinked so many supporters to embrace the prospect of this failure because they’ve made the Kings the bad guy, the Lions the fall guy and stood tall as the good guy.
Think about it …
942 Comments
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15 Oct 2012, 22:39 pm
SL had more blow-outs on here than Poppa on a bad day.I sense that he is very close to another one now.
15 Oct 2012, 22:39 pm
@skunk-736: NOt true mate, Vulindlu was a talen alright , and i was a fan of his but he had poor hands, always dropping the damn ball, thats what cost him
People think because of speed and strength you should be an automatic choice, again not so,
I chose my Sharks team for Saturday and some said i w as mad when i put Odwa in place of Mvovo, and again i am a huge Mvovo fan, but Odwa right now ( also injured so not sure for the weekend) is in brilliant form, Odwa has all the Skills and is not as slow as some make him out to be.
Odwa does not get the credit he deserves
15 Oct 2012, 22:39 pm
@rangerman-718:
I never said it was racist. I said it was untrue.
15 Oct 2012, 22:40 pm
@skunk-736: like I said Natal are probably the leading franchise for promoting talent across the broad spectrum.. but most of that natural talent comes from EC so that is where this discussion originated.. Sharks don’t want to see EC Kings succeed because it will reduce the area of catchment they have been enjoying since they got rid of the EC partnership.. now all those kids that come from those EC schools will be less drawn to Sharks with their own franchise available at their own station nearer to home.
15 Oct 2012, 22:40 pm
@Heavens Game-748: you eeeh a raciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiist!
15 Oct 2012, 22:40 pm
@Heavens Game-734:
Hello HG,
How’s it hanging
I also think you’ll beat us in the Sharktank, we’re not orgaized enough and we played a hard game against the Lions
It’s a shame we didn’t lose, at least we would have gotten rid on the never sufficiently accursed Pine
I suspect WP might win it at Ellispark
They might not have enough in the tank after Saturday and if they play like they did the second half with their “A” team players from the bench, they won’t stand a chance
15 Oct 2012, 22:41 pm
@Transformation-747:
you still here?
go make RL some eggs
15 Oct 2012, 22:41 pm
730
You deduce that from 719? Is that M’Burg piece of paper you call a certificate even worthy for you to ‘vee jou stink hol mee’?
Where is the mere notion of debate even hinted at? Has the ‘aparhtheid’ upbringing so induced you to gloss over and glorify so many hitlerite- responses to the extent that you dare deem it as debate? How sick you are SS.
You forgot you were exposed celebrating with the hideously named non-”Charo” about voting for Jaap(better AAP) Marais’ HNP in your effort to spare him?
15 Oct 2012, 22:41 pm
@phil72-745: INto wife bashing again?? keep going dude ur showing how low class you are.
15 Oct 2012, 22:42 pm
@sharks_lover-742: Nothing to be feared from the rain… Sharks actually have turned into a bit of a wet weather specialist team – quite a few wins in the rain at KP… including one against the Bulls not long ago…
Plays into the better scrum set piece of the Sharks and neutralises lineouts to an extent – so rain could actually play right into Sharks hands…
15 Oct 2012, 22:43 pm
@ahasaid theclown-754:
Tried to explain that concept to the varkies earlier…. But them understanding it might be asking for to much?
15 Oct 2012, 22:44 pm
@Mostofyou-758: back in your box ****.
15 Oct 2012, 22:44 pm
@Transformation-747: Apologies… will rephrase… absolute blogsodomy then… more appropriate for a Sharksworld “expert” hey Megatron?
15 Oct 2012, 22:45 pm
I read this comment on a blog last week and it makes me wonder. Any comments Keo? Is it true?
Another shambles in South African Rugby, with the effective undermining of the Lions Rugby Union in terms of the Super 15 !
THE KEO CONNECTION
Highbury Safika Media (HSM) is a publishing house boasting a portfolio of over 30 magazine titles and numerous online publications. Amongst these are SA Rugby Magazine and Keo.co.za – the website of Mark Keohane and other SA Rugby writers such as Ryan Vrede and Jon Cardinelli.
Keohane has been a public figure since his days as Springbok Communications Manager under the ill-fated reigns of both Harry Viljoen and Rudolph Streauli, until he resigned in protest over SARFU’s handling of the Geo Cronjé racism debacle involving Quinton Davids. Keohane went on to publish a book about the episode and the state of the Springboks in general, and was widely criticized by Springbok players (most notably Corné Krige) as deliberately attempting to sow division within their ranks and to undermine SA Rugby in general.
In recent times Keohane has been busying himself in the extensive business interests of HSM, as well as media relations of other entities, such as Jake White’s Winning Ways – a business partnership which ended in a heated law suit, kept hushed away out of the public sphere. Even more recently, however, HSM -and Mark Keohane in particular – were awarded the contract to manage the media, marketing and public relations of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). The awarding of this contract was never put up for tender, as is standard government procedure, but was rather awarded directly to HSM (although Keohane states that normal application took place, the fact remains it should have gone to tender).
And this is where the Keo connection begins to reveal itself.
During his time at SA Rugby, Mark Keohane worked alongside the likes of Rian Oberholzer (President of SARFU), Songezo Nayo (Managing Director), Gary Grant (Marketing Director) and the current president of SASCOC – Gideon Sam (Springbok Team Manager).
All four names mentioned above are currently directors of sports marketing company Accelerate Sports, with Gideon Sam being appointed as Chairman. Gideon Sam also serves on the Lotto Distribution Board, but excused himself when dealing with the funding grant to SA Cycling, a grant from which Accelerate Sport received commission to the tune of R 26 million – a blatant conflict of interest.
Accelerate Sport, through their subsidiary Access Facilities and Leisure Management (AFLM), were also awarded the contract as operations manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. It is reported that this contract brings in a whopping R 600 000 a month to the coffers of Accelerate. It is the duty of AFLM to source events to be staged at the stadium to generate revenue and keep the stadium sustainable.
And here the connection between rugby and Accelerate begins to become clear.
The contract between AFLM and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro states that, above the R 600 000 a month, AFLM are to be awarded performance bonuses based on the revenue they generate, providing this amount exceeds R 12,5 million a year. The structure of this bonus is as follows:
The Operator will be paid 10% of any amount above R12.5 million but less than R15 million, and then:
• 12.5% of any amount in excess of R15 million but less than R20 million;
• 15% of any amount in excess of R20 million but less than R25 million; and
• 20% of any amount in excess of R25 million.
It is thus blatantly clear that it is in the best interests of Accelerate to find events which will draw spectators, such as concerts etc.
But what better way to ensure constant revenue, week after week, than playing host to a top tier sports team. If only the Eastern Cape had one.
But wait, Accelerate have strong ties to SARU, they do after all boast an ex-president in their ranks. Would it at this point seem ludicrous to suggest that Oberholzer, Sam, Grant and Nayo used their previous connections to SARU to, excuse the pun, accelerate the Kings’ inclusion in Super Rugby so as to ensure that their business interest was being looked after, leading to SARU’s shock announcement at the Heyneke Meyer press conference about the Kings’ guaranteed inclusion in Super Rugby for 2013? Surely not.
So where does Mark Keohane fit into all this?
Keohane has recently stepped up his anti – Lions rhetoric in his articles, and while not directly naming the Kings in his most recent one, it is clear where his views emanate from. The vested interest he has in servicing his ex-colleagues at SARU (SASCOC contracts etc.) has clearly skewed the views of an already overly opinionated man.
But wait, there’s more.
After the establishment of the Kings, the son of Cheeky Watson – president of the Eastern Province Rugby Union (under which the Kings operate) – Luke, was brought back from Bath to play for the Kings. In May 2011 HSM (with Mark Keohane again at the forefront) announced that it had decided to enter into the field of player management, a first for the publishing company. Furthermore it was announced that their first client would be none other than Luke Watson. Queue the Mark Keohane propaganda machine.
The cover of the very next SA Rugby magazine was adorned by – yes, you guessed it – Luke Watson, with the rather flattering caption “Return of the King”. This was to be only the start of the Keohane marketing hype surrounding Watson and the Kings.
At the same press conference where SARU dropped the Kings bombshell on an unsuspecting audience, Ryan Vrede, a HSM journalist, asked Heyneke Meyer if Luke Watson – a player languishing in the second tier of SA Rugby and who hasn’t been in Bok contention since mid-2008 – was a contender for the position of Springbok captain. These blatant attempts by Keohane to force the name of Luke Watson into mainstream media while he has done nothing to get it there serves to illustrate the hidden agenda and inherent corrupt nature of a man who has lived off the rise and fall of others for far too long.
Not only has the media machine being rolling for Luke Watson, but others being managed under yet another Accelerate Sport company – In-Site Athlete Management – have been enjoying a rise in publicity in SA Rugby magazine as well. Willem Alberts received some ego stroking in May 2011, as did another In-Site managed player -Joe van Niekerk – in March 2012, with the article stating that he is playing the best rugby of his career at Toulon. Buttering him up for a big money move back to SA perhaps?
It is clear that Keo’s connection into Accelerate stretches deep, with an “I’ll scratch your back you scratch mine” policy which benefits both sides. Gideon Sam made sure he looked after Mark with the awarding of the SASCOC account, Mark in turn ensures that the business interests of Accelerate Sport and its stakeholders remains in the mainstream media, and they all walk away happy.
The reason why Keo has gone on a Lions bashing campaign of late should come as no surprise when taking the above into account. Mark Keohane is no longer a journalist; he hasn’t been for quite a while. He is a businessman with a platform to promote his interests and those of others close to him, a platform which he uses selflessly and without shame.
He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is the worm in the apple, and the rot starts with him.
15 Oct 2012, 22:45 pm
@sharks_lover-759:
The supersport closeup on the toothless fairies at Kings Park over the weekend, any relationship?
15 Oct 2012, 22:46 pm
@rangerman-755:
e he…
chuckle… shake…
e he
(trying to emulate our current pre zz ee dent)
15 Oct 2012, 22:46 pm
@Heavens Game-760:
s.hits gonna get real for keegan on saturday, sonny
there’s gonna be a boom! alright….
15 Oct 2012, 22:46 pm
@ahasaid theclown-754:
When I first read your new name through caffein deficient eyes this morning I read “a-Sahid the clown” and thought Fark, Arabs ain’t that funny
15 Oct 2012, 22:47 pm
The wifies have no say,phil.Sl,the daddy of the group,determines the rota for the evening.Bluff girlies are rather dodgy at the best of times,giving SL the perfect excuse to hang out with the fellow ladyboys.
15 Oct 2012, 22:47 pm
@JKBridge-764:
BOOM!
15 Oct 2012, 22:48 pm
SL
If hands were the issue Konko would be playing VC rugby for the purple people eaters. He just did not rate him.
15 Oct 2012, 22:48 pm
@Heavens Game-766: the emperor of nkandla?
15 Oct 2012, 22:48 pm
@phil72-765: THose will be BUlls supporting woman,
15 Oct 2012, 22:49 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-749: Yeah… To adapt Bill Clintons “its the economy, stoopid”…
“Its a poesklap, stoopid”
BOOM!
15 Oct 2012, 22:49 pm
@wnbb-769:
Varkies all rough and ready… next brain f art not to far off….
15 Oct 2012, 22:50 pm
right, i’m out
lekker aand almal
and remember,
when debating, attack the space and not the man…
15 Oct 2012, 22:50 pm
@wnbb-769: Maak toe jou bek, jou asem stink.
15 Oct 2012, 22:50 pm
@Heavens Game-748: more to the point is that what you thinking I’m saying? You another one cant hide your inherent racist stance.. you also wanna try pretend you all for the freedom to the people and all that jazz but yet you at the forefront of the fck Cheeky and the Kings parade… make up your mind where you wanna be you can’t be opposite side of the same fence at the same time.
@rangerman-743: try again libby lib lib.. try that skunks my rugger pal and trans is my other pal business again.. when you gonna be true to who you are and stop pretending otherwise?
15 Oct 2012, 22:51 pm
@sharks_lover-773:
Oh…. The ones with the black and white jerseys… makes perfect sense now
15 Oct 2012, 22:51 pm
@Heavens Game-774: Boet you seen El crapos new BF??? she and old phil there are so the cutest couple ever
15 Oct 2012, 22:51 pm
@Heavens Game-774:
quietly excited
15 Oct 2012, 22:52 pm
@ahasaid theclown-778: snoeky you swim?
15 Oct 2012, 22:52 pm
@Transformation-747:
It is time you realise that no one can turn a genuine head into a tail or a cold truth into a fiery LIE or a host of unanswered hot ,historical, uncomfortable questions into a “blogshagging” quite like Vorster’s Vokkers or Botha’s Boertjies or De Klerk Delinquents quite like the 95%ers that own rugby on this sorry site. They have had 350 years to perfect it. Lying is definitely in their ‘apartheid’ genes
But little do they know they dig that grave ever so deeper for themselves.
History will absolve me.
15 Oct 2012, 22:52 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-781: LIeg Bek
you quietly crapping ur jeans 
15 Oct 2012, 22:53 pm
@victoriabok-756: Huzzit VicBok… Dont be so nice and sporting… takes the fun away…
You a goodbugger… but I’ll be farked if I have to bottle up my true opinion in the name of sportsmanship…
Trash talking time…
PK in capitals… I tell ya
15 Oct 2012, 22:53 pm
@sharks_lover-773:
No, the past weekend when you were playing Griquas
15 Oct 2012, 22:54 pm
@Mostofyou-783:
Fark off Kh-oisan X-tra ball
15 Oct 2012, 22:54 pm
@rangerman-772: Ja… The Zulu Mormon.
15 Oct 2012, 22:55 pm
You are correct Skop.They might promote youngsters,but only after raiding other provinces who have spend thousands of rands on developing these boys.After a bit of fine tuning they pass them off as homegrown.The have a lying and cheating culture down there in KZN….fact.
15 Oct 2012, 22:55 pm
@victoriabok-786:
nee man those were not Sharks supporters, they must be family of El Crapo, you know the okes with only a few teeth ?? 
15 Oct 2012, 22:55 pm
@victoriabok-786:
At Kings Park…even making more sense now? Probably the most sensible comment from you the whole day….
15 Oct 2012, 22:57 pm
@sharks_lover-784:
nee ou maat,
stille waters, diepe grond, onder draai die duiwel rond…
beware sharkies, beware, there is a tsunami of bone crushing blue building and its gonna break at kp. a fish outta water withers and dies
15 Oct 2012, 22:57 pm
@wnbb-789: Only thing thats a fact is that ur a lonely soul in search of attention, soos a gat vlieg
Kaap se brommer depicts you to a tee
15 Oct 2012, 22:57 pm
@Heavens Game-785:
You’ve got Keegan and we’ve got Dewald, everyone says they’re to small, too short etc for the Boks, but they play their heart out week aftre week and never give up
15 Oct 2012, 22:57 pm
@ahasaid theclown-778: Everyone you don’t like is a racist, hey? That’s such an easy one-size-fits-all accusation. Meanwhile you are the biggest racist on this site, with your d.uthcman this, boertjie that generalisations and insults. Do you even realise that you have severe racist ideologies? Has the penny dropped that you are far worse than anyone you accuse here? Or is this a carefully orchestrated attempt at hiding your privileged, army serving, caprivi fighting white jewish past? Some kind of crude deflection tactic. Because you don’t fool me. And I suspect a whole bunch of others here are onto you as well.
15 Oct 2012, 22:57 pm
@ahasaid theclown-778: Freedom to the people???
Fark off with that fanciful bulldust…
Where in this whole wide planet is there freedom for any people…
Freedom is an illusion… Get that straight once and for all.
You, a self proclaimed enlightened man, dont know this already?
Fark me…
15 Oct 2012, 22:58 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-792:
Soos ek se Baklkies “Broek staan stil die BAAS issie bang nie ”
15 Oct 2012, 22:59 pm
@rangerman-746:
Strange thing is Rangerman, I remember when a guy like Tac brought up similar topics ie white (Afrikaner) rugby players are bigger and therefor better, you always disagree with him (and others) citing (insert name of former Bok hooker) as an example of a big, black guy sitting amongst the midgets in the Supersport studio during rugby matches.
I guess you either don’t know what you believe or you just differ from certain people just for the sake of it. In both instances, you don’t come across well.
15 Oct 2012, 22:59 pm
Screw the Kings, screw Twatson…………Keo your self serving interest in promoting the two is pathetic. I, for the first time in my life, will join the kiwi crowd an boo this faaarking joke of a team when it next visits NZ.
I wish it the very best in failure!
15 Oct 2012, 22:59 pm
@katman-795: we certainly are.
the only flies who buy into him are as racist and f u kked up as he is.
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