Queens looking at overseas players?

Ex Keo

The Kings have asked Saru if they can field more than two foreigners in Super Rugby next year.

The Eastern Cape franchise recently announced the signings of Sharks lock Steven Sykes, Cheetahs centre Andries Strauss and WP flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis on two-year deals.

EP president Cheeky Watson told Eyewitness News on Thursday that the Kings are in talks with a further nine players, both local and foreign, and that while a South African player would be first choice, they have asked Saru if they could sign more than two foreigners if need be.

‘It’s a decision that has to be made as we go along, because we may just land up being in a position that we don’t have to sign any foreign player,’ Watson told Eyewitness News. ‘So it’s a situation that one will know in the next two weeks.’

The Kings will no doubt point to the Melbourne Rebels, who were granted special dispensation by the Australian Rugby Union to field 10 foreigners during their first Super Rugby season in 2011.

Can anyone tell me what happened to race based selection policies (lets not honour it with a decent sounding name like transformation). Come on cheeky you have to deliver on your race based policies  or else you are going to get clobbered and rightly so.

I have no idea about how the Kings (Queens) can attract leading SA players to their team  - th signings thus far has been of players basically good on CC level - but ar ethey really good enought to play a major role on Super level?   

I also think that th whole process has been a problem that would no go away.    They may attract some foreign players - mostly lower level ones - if the poor exchange rate is borne in mind.   No decent foreign player will sign if the annual payments is between $70 000 and $120 000 per annum - so that is a pipe dream as well.   In any event they should implement what was stated when the decision was taken - to further develop rugby in the Eatern Cape - especially with due regard to local rugby resources. 

I foresee a team that would on Super level be sub-standard and not competitive.    That may force the hand of SARU to try all kind of aalternatives - such as trying to draft contracted players from other franchises to play for th Kings - but that may be legally impossible and would likely mean that such a SARu order will be ignored on legal grounds.

I do believe that the Kings will fail sooner rather than later and their entry into the Super 15 series would fail badly.    With Puke as captain - it is bound to be a failure in any event.

EP is suppose to be a hot bed for black talent just waiting for an oppertunity to play at the highest level...... oh wait we never developed these "vast" resources, lets follow the rebels and Force example and lure players away from stronger unions making our strong teams weaker only to end up at the foot of the table. 

This is the one team that a quota system should be introduced, if you going to play the political card then you need follow up on it. 

I also remember cheeky saying that he has a whole bunch of SA players wanting to come home. Who did he have in mind exactly? Most of these players are either only good for currie cup level games or they are earning a decent mint playing for overseas clubs, why would they sacrifice that. Just looked what happened to Butch. He probably had another 3 years in him to play for Bath but now he is stuck with the lions and no other team wants to take him because of his age. 

Which other player want to risk this? 

Lets look of the list of quality SA super 15 players playing abroad.

Muller
Pienaar
Diack
Strauss
Schalc Brits
Hargreaves
BJ Botha
Jacque Fourie
Fourie Dupreez
Bakkies Botha
Joe van Niekerk
Danie Rousouw
 

None of these guys will give up their lucrative contracts to come and play for the queens. 

Develop your youth teams and success will come. Start from the grass root levels. 

Just look at the successful provinces that have developed over the years by investing in their youth teams. The bulls dominate the u21 and u18, 4 years later they become 3 times in a row Super Champs, WP start investing in their youth, Finishing in the top 4 for the last 4 years with most of their players at the average age of 23. 

This is where EP should be investing their money. 

Kingcorn this is precisely the problem. Instead of doing the hard yards and developing through the ranks they want it on a plate and on what is seemingly false pretences.

Things get worse still

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. (Would love to kno whow much money if any is coming from Govt realted entities - now they want to beat the Lions by buying an interantional team.

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. (We shall see)

In terms of developing future black players, the statement read: ‘We have been very vocal (the operative word) 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.

actions speak louder than words cheeky. All I see happening is the importation of white players and now they also want foreigners. They would also probably like to keep the Lions players for the relegation playoffs!!!

the kings are in a stuck between a rock and a hard place and im really starting to feel for them.
the main arguments for the inclusion of the kings was that they would be able to capitalise on the coloured players in the region, this got cheeky watson a lot of support from the government and right or wrong they pressured SARU for their inclusion.
after the dust had settled and it had been confirmed that the lions were out and the kings were in, SARU who IMO were never behind the whole kings idea to begin with and i have my doubts about it now, then annoucned that at the end of 2013, the lowest placed saffa team in the saffa conference, would have to play a relegation match for 2014, this is how SARU kept the door open for the lions.

IMO its not fair on the kings at all to be given one year to produce results, when history has shown how the new teams always struggle, and given the ample opportunities they gave the lions who are super rugbys worst tema ever, who from 17 super rugby seasons have picked up 6 woodenspoons, as well as a bottom 3 finish 8 times, i cant help but wonder why the kings dont get a decent crack to make it work, no wonder they have to look abroad for players of a higher caliber then what SA currently have. yes SA have depth, but not the kind of depth to help the kings out of their present dilemmas, especially with the lions playing the hurt feelings card.


considering the kings have been given one year to turn things around, its obvious that grooming ypungsters isnt a feasible, as they are now on a winning deadline.
the kings need to go to NZ, where we have more depth then our 5 spXV clubs can hold, every week we are blessed with some amazing rugby in the ITM and theres no way we can fit them all, but with the kings looking for players,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,a match made in heaven.

 An absolute slap in the face to all those taleneted future "Queen" Boks that Cheeky referred to earlier when forcing the issue of playing in the S15 competion.

Which overseas player in his right mind is going to sign a contract for R150,00 or so.......

Internationally the currency is worthless.

In England/France the guys get real bucks...so guess what.

Right, the comrades of Cheeky will have to divert some cash from their "overseas" accounts to buy these overseas players.

Can't wait for the 2014 S15 season to start and see the Lions back in the competion.