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Besieged Eastern Cape franchise, the Kings of the south, are courting former Worcester and Cheetahs coach Rory Duncan and offered to pay him more than R2 million per year despite having financial problems in April.
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Last week, the Kings needed a bailout of R6 million from the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to pay for staff and player salaries, which came in 10 days as the scheduled pay date.
Three high-ranking officials within the organization confirmed that Kings board chairman Loyiso Dotwana has been working undercover to lure Duncan to Port Elizabeth to fill the vacant coach-in-chief position for Deon Davids last year.
The Kings rejected the appointment of a new head coach last year after naming a panel to interview and shortlist potential candidates, but they quickly undermined them by unveiling a previously approved list of candidates.
Duncan, Peter de Villiers, Corniel van Zyl and Steve Jackson were shortlisted, but many believe the entire exercise was a ruse and that Duncan was nominated for the role in the first place. Rugby director Robbi Kempson took the reins during a dire PRO14 campaign where the franchise won a game before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
The two capital partners: The World’s Best Rugby Company (GRC) and the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) have been at odds since SA Rugby ratified their association last year.
The minority shareholder, EPRU, accused GRC board members of making unilateral decisions, such as training appointments and recruiting players without their knowledge. The search for Duncan is another episode that raises the anger of EPRU officials.
“They gave Rory Duncan an offer worth more than R2 million without EP’s knowledge,” said an official.
“EP was left in the dark about his interview with Rory and they were making a deal with him after the appointment was frozen last year. The shareholders have no idea about those things, but Loyiso went ahead and did all of that behind everyone’s back. .
“How come it’s not a reckless trade? They don’t have cash flow, they can’t pay people now, and their salary bill is too high. Some administrative staff and coaches who were recruited, their apartments are paid for by the Kings ”
“It could be part of trying to lure someone with a package, but it’s so irresponsible. When the Kings couldn’t pay the wages, those (accommodation) service providers weren’t paid either.”
An administrator close to the board said they would be surprised if the Kings still had players at the end of the block. It is understood that the 10-day delay in payment of salary scared several players who then contacted their agents to help them take advantage of SA Rugby’s 21-day “opt-out” period to obtain offers elsewhere.
The Kings could lose star players JC Astle, Yaw Penxe, Howard Mnisi and Bobby de Wee as a result of the financial uncertainty surrounding the union and the projected 45% pay cuts that will affect players in South Africa.
The Kings were slated to hold a shareholder meeting on Tuesday, where they would discuss cash flow issues and late salary payments, but the meeting was postponed due to the forced government shutdown.
“Given the current climate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown regulations, the Kings board had presented it to the EPRU in time for the meeting to take place at the EPRU offices, where they would potentially meet more than 10 people. A government-issued permit would be required if an organization is not an essential service, “President Dotwana said in a statement.
“Additionally, we suggested that the meeting might be held via video conference, but the Eastern Province Rugby Union rejected the suggestions and insisted on an in-person meeting, which was impossible during this period without the necessary permission.”
“We would not want to be part of a legal meeting without claims.”
EPRU President Andre Rademan responded strongly to Dotwana’s suggestions that the EPRU was prepared to ignore the closing regulations to hold the emergency meeting.
“We are concerned about the well-being of the players and the staff,” said Rademan.
“There is obviously a cash flow problem and we want to address it. We want to see a business plan, its financial statements and a cash flow statement. We want to know what the way forward is.”
“We organize disinfectants, gloves, masks and organize social distancing measures for the meeting.
“This morning they started saying that we don’t have a permit and we sat down to wait for them [for an alternative plan]. Then they asked for a video conference, which we hadn’t prepared for, and then they left. While we were waiting, they sent out the press release. They got ahead of this.
“We comply with the social distancing measures that have been implemented. We are talking about the lives of people here and if it explodes, the union will be blamed for this.”
