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
Pages: « 1 … 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 [18] 19 » Show All
15 Oct 2012, 23:26 pm
Judge of character on a faceless blog Katters??…where most of the bloggers are probably taking the piss most of the times.I think that assessment of yourself is stretching it a bit ,even for a man of your keo stature.
15 Oct 2012, 23:26 pm
@Heavens Game-849:
Oom Bryce hou van Klippies…
15 Oct 2012, 23:27 pm
@TheTackler-847: Be Yoo Ti Ful…
15 Oct 2012, 23:27 pm
@Heavens Game-849:
@TheTackler-847: You know they gonna blame the loses on the white players in the team
15 Oct 2012, 23:30 pm
@wnbb-823:
Are you even slower than you sound?
15 Oct 2012, 23:30 pm
@ahasaid theclown-828:
Shut up
15 Oct 2012, 23:30 pm
@victoriabok-850: Eish… Not Capo sorry to say I reckon…
open wide, spread…
“is it in yet??”
Chap standing behind holding half a traffic cone… vanished
15 Oct 2012, 23:32 pm
@katman-838: you can try ‘see’ whatever you think you ‘see’ you little piece of frivolous punk faced rubbish, you don’t have the foggiest idea of your fat delusion of character identification.. I got you taped far closer than you ever think you know who I am.. and I know a two faced piece of racist trash when I see or smell one.. you are IT .. your highfalutin fat deluded opinionated impression of your puny little fckface self says it all… every other which way you wanna try and hide it don’t wash with me one little iota .. zero.. punk.. you think you so f’ng smart.. well lemme tell you pisswilly little fanny faced prat.. you are not.
15 Oct 2012, 23:32 pm
@Heavens Game-857:
Bwahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
15 Oct 2012, 23:33 pm
@ahasaid theclown-828: Me… Intelligent… ?? Notafuck… But certainly less of a dumbfuck than many on this little plot of cyberspace…
15 Oct 2012, 23:33 pm
I guess so phil.Poor old Hg normally go around on here telling us his legendary tales of his s&x exploits with polish maids.As they say ,it’s normally the kuk ugly okes exaggerating their prowess with the females.Tyrone(SL) fits Hg’s style right to the T.
15 Oct 2012, 23:33 pm
@sharks_lover-854:
You come across as such a kind GIVING lady… Are you a lover to all Varkies or do you have any favorites?
15 Oct 2012, 23:35 pm
@phil72-862: @wnbb-861: YAWWWWWWWWWWWWN,
15 Oct 2012, 23:35 pm
@Heavens Game-857:
> Chap standing behind holding half a traffic cone
Half a traffic cone eh?
Sounds like Hulk Hogan
15 Oct 2012, 23:37 pm
@victoriabok-864:
Stop it now! Getting SL all gesited…..
15 Oct 2012, 23:37 pm
@Heavens Game-860:
Bantustans se gat, you vet bapeddifile masoginnis trilkop. Go **** yourself. the EP kings bring hope to millions. Jy sal jou gat sien. I am the Woman with the EP Tatoo, and I am going to take care of business. Uitkyk!
15 Oct 2012, 23:38 pm
@victoriabok-864:
15 Oct 2012, 23:38 pm
He is a giver,phil!At birth his mother saw that he had the ability to become a hootchie mamma one day,hence she proceeded to give him a nice ghetto name like Tyrone.
15 Oct 2012, 23:39 pm
@rangerman-818:
The point am trying to make is that, that’s the mindset of most coaches and that might be the reason why these players never make it past provincial age groups.
15 Oct 2012, 23:42 pm
SL,wilfully ,selected the ugliest chick on the bluff to hide his tendencies and to make it easier to move around servicing his ladyboys Hg and rangerboy.
15 Oct 2012, 23:42 pm
SL,wilfully ,selected the ugliest chick on the bluff to hide his tendencies and to make it easier to move around servicing his ladyboys Hg and rangerboy.
15 Oct 2012, 23:42 pm
@gunther-856: who asked you pathetic self styled moron to chirp in.. you the last of the three frivolous pisswilly musketeers.. you and your other two self styled cleverdick pricks here.. katmankunty and rangerprat and now you too wanna come stick your frivolous little stupendously idiotic nose where it don’t belong.. just like the other two miserable little arsehole goons in tandem.
15 Oct 2012, 23:44 pm
@ahasaid theclown-872:
Very apt name………….
15 Oct 2012, 23:44 pm
Hg,the trilkop sounds just about right.
. Ffs now Sl will get all excited now!!! 
15 Oct 2012, 23:44 pm
@wnbb-871: @wnbb-870: you just cant seem to get g@y stories outa ur small little mind can you??? MOffie
15 Oct 2012, 23:45 pm
Shut up skoppie. You’re an embarrassment.
15 Oct 2012, 23:47 pm
@sharks_lover-875:
He not the one with the name, SHARK LOVER…. Do tell?
15 Oct 2012, 23:49 pm
Sharkslover once called himself the president of the sharks fan club.Hmmmmmmm??????
15 Oct 2012, 23:49 pm
@victoriabok-864: Lol… Sounds like Hulk Hogan because it is Hulk Hogan…
15 Oct 2012, 23:49 pm
@ahasaid theclown-872:
That’s enough from you old timer.
Go clean yourself up a bit and get some kip.
Those shithouses won’t build themselves tomorrow.
15 Oct 2012, 23:50 pm
@katman-876: who’m I embarrassing.. you? you getting embarrassed on my account.. come on moron I thought you pathetic little clever **** prick could ‘see’ further than you can? go pretend you so smart someplace else.. idiot.. I see an idiot like you come round the bend every other day thinking you so goddamn smart.. when fact is you ain’t. bloody pathetic idiotic fool who thinks he’s fckng smarter than he is.. twat faced idiot gone totally up the wrong way.. bloody stupid moron.
15 Oct 2012, 23:50 pm
@KeurboomPark-866: Yes Phil whatever you say… Pielneus… Truly
15 Oct 2012, 23:52 pm
@mxhosa-869:
Like AC not picking JdJ for the S15 last year, instead playing big, dumb Jaque Fourie?
AC must be a racist
15 Oct 2012, 23:52 pm
SharksLOVER??It seems there is lots of love in old Tyrone!
15 Oct 2012, 23:52 pm
@wnbb-871: “ugliest chick on the bluff”… Your Mum…? Ag no man…
Fernly gonna be fuckedoff… There no ugly chicks on the Bluff… Ask him.
They just scream loud.
15 Oct 2012, 23:57 pm
Whatsha madder? Did poor little skopshkweet get banned agwain?
What a porksword.
15 Oct 2012, 23:57 pm
@wnbb-884:
Tonight… SHARKS LOVER singing… knock, knock, knocking on HEAVENS door……
15 Oct 2012, 23:57 pm
Capo is a tuuuuuuurd. A big fat brown tuuuuuuurd.
15 Oct 2012, 23:58 pm
Gunths,don’t you have an early shift at CT international tomorrow?Wrap it up boytjie and hit the sack.The taxpayer expects quality service tomorrow.
16 Oct 2012, 00:00 am
Sharky, we sorting these Poppers Poppies out once and for all slowly but surely…
BOOM!
16 Oct 2012, 00:00 am
Skop, what you gonna say one day when you actually come face to face with one of these bloggers?
A poesklap springs to mind and I don’t think you will be dishing it out!
16 Oct 2012, 00:02 am
Carnage on this thread…
Excellent…
Cant think of a more deserving article than one singing the praises of SA Rugby’s very own Bantustan Franchise…
The Kings
Eeeeeeee eeee eeeeeeee (ululating)
16 Oct 2012, 00:02 am
Good one,phil.
16 Oct 2012, 00:03 am
@Liewe Luiperd-886: like this one another moron that thinks its so goddamn clever .. where do all these clever morons originate from .. what is the tree of moron idiocy that keeps breeding these stupid fruits that think they clever when they so decidedly stupid?
16 Oct 2012, 00:04 am
@Liewe Luiperd-886: Porksword… Beautiful word that…
Beautiful…
Very appropriate for many Cape Popper Poppie local yokels
16 Oct 2012, 00:04 am
@wnbb-889:
Indeed.
We are trying to snag a poodle trafficking ring.
Lets hope I don’t see you in the line up.
16 Oct 2012, 00:05 am
F’ck the Kings and f’ck skopshkweet the pathetic insignificant little man.
16 Oct 2012, 00:05 am
Another sharkievarkie jumping out of the closet !!What the fark is going on here tonight???
16 Oct 2012, 00:05 am
@wnbb-884:
You’re the guy on the beach with scratchmarks on your chest and wearing a golden Speedo?
16 Oct 2012, 00:05 am
@ahasaid theclown-894:
Not 100% sure… but rumors are that the tree was planted somewhere on the Bluff?
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