With International rugby coming to an end, atleast for now, Eastern Province Rugby is facing some new challenges. With Super Rugby continuing after a month long break and Currie Cup 1st Division kicking off this weekend, managing players will probably be top on their to do list.
The Southern Kings will be facing the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria without their captain Luke Watson, who needs to go for an ankle opperation that will take him out of the game for another six months. Steven Sykes is still out with injury, along with Siyanda Grey and Sergeal Peterson. At least some good news for the Southern Kings is that Michael Killian has fully recovered form his injury and will start on the right wing against the Bulls on Saturday.
The problem they facing with the EP Kings defending their 1st Division cup is that, due to the fact of Super Rugby and 1st Division overlapping, the EP King will have to play their first six matches without some of their 1st choice players. As challenging as it might be for the EP Kings, it also creates a wonderful oppertunity for younger players to put their hands up and for EP Rugby to test their depth within the province.
EP Kings will be without their top players for the opening Currie Cup matches against the Pumas (June 28, Nelson Mandela Bay), Griffons (July 6, Welkom), Leopards (July 12,NMB), South Western Districts Eagles (July 19, George), Boland (July 26,NMB), Falcons (August 3, Kempton Park) and Border (NMB).
Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons, said this was a unique situation, as never before has Super Rugby and Currie Cup schedules overlapped to this extent, and that this would pose significant challenges, as essentially the province would have to manage two teams simultaneously.
“We are confident that we will be able to put in a good showing in the Currie Cup, despite these challenges,” said Solomans.
“This is what we have been saying all along, Super Rugby is not just about being able to compete in the top competition, it also creates opportunities for other players who would otherwise not necessarily have had the opportunities to play,”
“I know that David Maidza and Robbi Kempson are up for the challenge,” he said.
EP Kings Acting CEO and General Manager, Charl Crous, said the union would continue with its stance of making top flight rugby in the province accessible to the general public.
“We have decided to charge just R30 per ticket for our Currie Cup games, with children under 13 paying just R15,” he said.
Its surely an exciting but also a challenging time at EP Rugby at the moment, with the Southern Kings and their quest to retain their Super Rugby status for another season and EP Kings defending their 1st Division cup with a possible promo/relegation match to play for at the end of the Currie Cup season.
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