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SA Rugby statement: 'Open letter' on planned Stormers protests
By Ian Cameron
SA Rugby have released an 'open letter' regarding apparent plans to picket an upcoming Stormers game by people from within the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU).
The province is currently in administration, which is the latest chapter in what has been several years of acrimony around the union. Now members of the old executive are seeking to claim back control of the union from the administrators who were sent in to straighten out its ailing finances.
Now SA Rugby have pleaded with those involved not to disrupt the current process.
"SA Rugby has noted plans to picket a forthcoming DHL Stormers match by elements of the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) club structures and wishes to remind the rugby community of certain facts. It is felt necessary to do so at this time to remind the public of the calamitous sequence of actions and inactions by the former executive that led to the WPRFU being reluctantly taken into administration.
"The remit of the administrator was to return the WPRFU to financial stability while untangling the legal complications of the myriad of putative property deals that the former administration contemplated.
"The claims now being made by individuals – some of whom were part of the executive which traded the entity to the brink of bankruptcy and now wish to reclaim control – are erroneous, misleading, and needlessly distracting.
"Most important to note is that any property or equity deal that the Executive Council (Exco) of the South African Rugby Union believes has sufficient merit to be presented to the General Council of the WPRFU, cannot be completed without the approval of that General Council. The decision will be Western Province’s; no-one else’s."
SA Rugby then listed a 14-part timeline of events leading to the current mess.
"In conclusion, SA Rugby looks forward to ending Western Province’s unfortunate period of administration in the coming months with a solution approved by its clubs. The path taken has so far brought stability on and off the field while the process being followed to ensure the Union’s financial sustainability has been rigorously vetted from a legal and governance perspective.
"We would urge all stakeholders that the greatest service they can do to WPRFU right now is to allow the proposed solutions to come to its General Council without sideshows and interference where the membership will be able to decide their own fate."
The organization was struggling to pay salaries and expenses, resulting in mounting debt and legal battles. The COVID-19 pandemic further aggravated the situation, with the absence of live spectators leading to a significant loss in revenue.
In November 2020, the union announced its intention to sell its Newlands stadium to a property developer, sparking widespread outrage among fans. However, the proposed sale fell through, and the WPRFU was placed under administration by the South African Rugby Union in March 2021.
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Latest Comments
I can understand negotiations for Kinghorn, White, and Ribbans. All three are playing very, very well at the current time. Kinghorn has been a leading contended for some time now; Ribbans looks as powerful as he’s ever been; while on the evidence of the most recent Six Nations, White benches behind JGP at Scrumhalf.
However, noone in their right mind should be considering Kyle Sinckler, Courtney Lawes, nor Owen Farrell. Sinckler looks unfit and can barely move around the field with any great urgency. He would be a liability on tour to Australia. Lawes is clearly ‘enjoying life’ in ProD2, and his rugby looks every bit second tier level now.
As for Farrell, not only has he been plagued by poor form and injury since moving to Racing, even the much vaunted ‘kicking record’ has long since been debunked as a USP with a percentage that simply does not stand up to scrutiny. That leaves only the intangible (desperate…) claim he would add ‘leadership’, which in a Lions squad resplendent with talent and international caps is I’m afraid, much like Farrell, a complete non-starter.
Go to commentsFootball always had ‘detached’ leagues. So do most other sports. Unions or federations never dictated who plays and how often like in NZ. Would be unheard of. You need independent clubs that really compete with each other in NZ but that would never happen because NZR would have to relinquish control over players. Rugby’s model is an exception in professional sport, not the rule.
SA in the 6N? Never. Most want promotion/relegation to the REC and many want to keep it as it is. Much better for the game here when countries can finally get into the 6N. It will lead to more investment in REC nations because they can finally get ahead. Tier 1 nations do very little to grow the game outside their countries.
SA should grow the game in Africa. Plenty of potential there.
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