EP Kings u19 to face Griffons u19

The Eastern Province Kings u19s got their campaign off to a great start last Friday in Nelspruit against the Pumas, the young Kings would’ve been encouraged by the result and score line considering it was away from home. The men from PE ran in 8 tries securing the 4 try bonus point well before halftime, eventually running out 46-18 winners.

 

The u19 men will play in familiar surroundings this week as they take on the Griffons at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Coaches Ryan Felix and Rory Duncan have opted for continuity retaining the same starting 15 that did duty last week, with Matthew Moore continuing in his role as captain of the side. The bench however sees 3 changes which see Ruan de Jager, Roger Lewis and Wayburn Howley drop out of the 23 man squad for Similile Qinela, Francois Nel and Luca Dallavecchia respectively.

 

Luca Dallavecchia adds to a growing contingent of Grey schoolboys in the Eastern Province u19 side, the young flyer is the 5th Grey PE schoolboy to represent the u19s this year. Another schoolboy comes onto the bench, a former Eastern Province representative at Craven Week for 2 seasons. Francois Nel who captained Hoerskool Daniel Pienaar this year is a very good scrumhalf, particularly known for his sniping ability around fringes and a very good pass. He’ll bring great experience to the side as he resumes his career in the red and black hoops.

 

The last addition to the bench is Similile Qinela; the former Selborne College and Border Craven Week prop will be making his 1st appearance in the red and black hoops. A mobile player around the park in his mould will be crucial at the later stages of the game as the bodies begin to tire.

 

I caught up with big tighthead prop and Captain Matthew Moore; he gave us a bit of an insight into what happened last week, he had this to say, “Well last week was our 1st game together and I think it went well, we missed out on 4 tries with knocks and so on, lineouts and scrums went very well and our backs did really well when they got the ball.”

 

He went on to say this ahead of tomorrow’s game, “Our captain’s run went well, as well as our week’s training leading up to the game tomorrow, the boys are really like brothers and that’s what you need in a team.”  He also added, “The Griffons are a very good team and we respect them, but we will come out all guns blazing. They will probably play with their forwards, but we are up for it and keen for the game tomorrow. Everything will start with us in the front row tomorrow; we need to give our brothers at the back quality ball.”

 

We as the King supporters need to get behind these young lads. This promises to be a good season for the Kings u19, as Puma, Nutri Tech and ABSA believes in them as they continue they ongoing support of the junior team. We need to get out there and fill the stadium and support our boys as future Eastern Province Kings stars. The game kicks off at 14:15 tomorrow at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

 

EP KINGS u19:

15: Khaya Malotana (Queen’s College)

14: Phelo Mfini (Grey High School, PE)

13: Sherwin Slater (Andrew Rabie High School)

12: Juandre Fourie (Marlow Landbou)

11: Khanya Mzilikazi (Queen’s College)

10: Warren Swartz (Stirling High School)

09: Matthew Alborough (Grey High School, PE)

08: Erwin Slabbert (Framesby High School)

07: Sabelo Sam (Newton Technical High School)

06: John Henry Schmitt (Oudtshoorn High School)

05: Gerrit Huisamen (Grey High School, PE)

04: Stefan Ebersohn (Grey High School, PE)

03: Matthew Moore (Brandwag)

02: JP Jamieson (Grey High School, PE)

01: Lyle Lombaard (Otto du Plessis)

 

RESERVES:

16: Similile Qinela (Selborne College)

17: Divan Nell (PJ Olivier)

18: Pelser Hanekom (Daniel Pienaar)

19: Dewald Meyer (Otto du Plessis)

20: Francois Nel (Daniel Pienaar)

21: Mitchell Turner (Selborne College)

22: Siviwe Bisset (Grey High School, PE)

23: Luca Dallavecchia (Grey High School, PE)

 

HEAD COACH: Ryan Felix

ASSISTANT COACH: Rory Duncan

Ludumo Nkabi

 

 

 

 

EP Kings u19 to start their campaign against the Pumas

The youngest members of the Kings Academy, Eastern Province Kings u19s, will begin their campaign against the Pumas u19s in Nelspruit tomorrow. The u19s are often a very tricky proposition as you never have any continuity from the previous year. One never knows what to expect from a different group. We can only hope that this group can go all the way in the competition. Head Coach Ryan Felix named a strong side for the 1st game.

 

The team has a number of schoolboys from Grey High School PE, with 4 of the starting XV having represented their high school Grey just last week against Selborne College, namely Matthew Alborough, Gerrit Huisamen, Stefan Ebersohn and JP Jamieson. Young scrumhalf Matthew Alborough and lock Stefan Ebersohn have already represented Eastern Province at the u18 Craven Week this year. The Grey PE influence is further added with 2 former Grey PE 1st XV players in reserve back Siviwe Bisset and right wing Phelo Mfini.

Matthew Moore who will captain the u19 side is also a former Eastern Province Craven Week player, having been educated in Uitenhage at Hoerskool Brandwag, one of the Eastern Cape’s top rugby schools. The big ball carrying front rower will look to lead from the front. He’s also tasked with the big duty of anchoring the scrum, a duty he’s thrived in before for the province at school level. His fellow front rower at loosehead, Lyle Lombaard, brings a bit of experience as well having already played for the u19 side last year as an 18 year old.

The relatively less known John Henry Smit is a young openside flanker from South Western Districts, he’s a former Oudtshoorn High School pupil and is a prospect the Kings are very excited about. 

I in particular am looking forward to following the progress of Khanya Mzilikazi and Khaya Malotana who I’ve had the pleasure of watching over a number of years, perhaps a bit of a different prospect watching the man who used to be called “Chilli” at Queen’s on the wing. Mzilikazi was a small fiery hooker and flanker at Queen’s, I look forward to seeing how he does on the wing. Khaya Malotana was a fullback-wing-centre for Queen’s, blessed with tons of pace and rugby brain 2nd to none. His awareness makes him very dangerous and he’s a well-balanced runner which makes very him deceptive and a nightmare to defend against.

The Kings supporters would just like to wish the Kings u19s and their coaches Ryan and Rory all the best for their campaign as they seek to gain promotion. The Army is behind you.

 

EP Kings u19:

15: Khaya Malotana (Queen’s College)

14: Phelo Mfini (Grey High School, PE)

13: Sherwin Slater (Andrew Rabie High School)

12: Juandre Fourie (Marlow Landbou)

11: Khanya Mzilikazi (Queen’s College)

10: Warren Swartz (Stirling High School)

09: Matthew Alborough (Grey High School, PE)

08: Erwin Slabbert (Framesby High School)

07: Sabelo Sam (Newton Technical High School)

06: John Henry Smit (Oudtshoorn High School)

05: Gerrit Huisamen (Grey High School, PE)

04: Stefan Ebersohn (Grey High School, PE)

03: Matthew Moore (Brandwag)

02: JP Jamieson (Grey High School, PE)

01: Lyle Lombaard (Otto du Plessis)

 

Reserves:

16: Divan Nell (PJ Olivier)

17: Ruan de Jager (Framesby High School)

18: Pelser Hanekom (Daniel Pienaar)

19: Dewald Meyer (Otto du Plessis)

20: Roger Lewis (Cillie High School)

21: Mitchell Turner (Selborne College)

22: Siviwe Bisset (Grey High School, PE)

23: Wayburn Howley (Despatch High School)

 

HEAD COACH: Ryan Felix

ASSISTANT COACH: Rory Duncan

   

Ludumo Nkabi

New Springbok heroes to rise

When Heyneke Meyer took over the reigns from Peter De Villiers as Springbok coach in 2012, he told the media that he really wanted the Springboks to be the best team in the world and that they needed to improve in every game to reach that goal.

In Meyer’s first year as Springbok coach, he did not do much to change the formula thatwas handed over from De Villiers, which had in turn been passed on to De Villiers from World Cup Winning coach Jake White.

Many thought that the coaching role was given to Meyer four years too late as many of the players from the 2011 World Cup were at their prime and many of them had playedunder Meyer when he guided the Bulls to three Super Rugby titles in 2007, 2009 and 2010. A few core players from that time had since left South Africa to play overseas, and many doubted and even questioned Meyer's ability, when he wanted the likes of Fourie Du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw and Victor Matfield to return to the Springbok set up. One can understand why Meyer wanted the pairing of Botha and Matfield back as those two had played a record 60 tests for the Springboks.

Meyer played out the 2012 season with players he knew and players that will get the job done, but surprised many at the start of the 2013 season when he selected some young blood. Meyer rewarded players for standing out during the Super Rugby season in his selection to face Italy, Scotland and Samoa in the June Incoming Test Series. Players like Willie Le Roux, JJ Engelbrecht, Jano Vermaak and Arno Botha were all given a start, with the likes of Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Piet Van Zyl and Jan Serfontein playing off the bench. Lourens Adriaanse, Franco Van Der Merwe, Pieter Labuschagne, Louis Schreuder and Robert Ebersohn were also called up to the squad but were never used.

We've seen plenty of changes amongst the forwards, with some players retiring frominternational rugby and others sustaining lengthy injuries. Coenie Oosthuizen and Trevor Naykane were given some game time to show what they can offer if stalwarts Jannie duPlessis and Beast Mtawarira find themselves unavailable for international duty.

Adriaan Strauss was given the number two jersey to show Meyer that he's got a back up if first choice Bismarck du Plessis is out of action.

Unfortunately the introduction of young Sharks lock, Pieter-Steph du Toit - who could possibly form the next Botha and Matfield combination with Eben Etzebeth - had to wait a little longer, after injury ruled him out. He is definitely a prospect for the future.

Another player that's been invaluable to the Springbok set up is Francios Louw; with his strong physical presence and ball carrying ability, he’s gained many meters for the Springboks. Louw is not just a player that likes the limelight, waiting for stand off ball, he also gets his hands dirty and has managed to win a surfeit of turnover possession when it comes to the tackle situation. We have no shortage of talent among the loose forwards with the likes of Louw, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Siya Kolisi and Arno Botha. If that is not enough we still have Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski and Duane Vermeulen to return to their former glory.

We have also seen some exciting play from some of the Cheetah back line players, namely Piet Van Zyl and the ever unpredictable Willie Le Roux. With a number of mid field players not available, it’s given an opportunity for players like JJ Engelbrecht and Jan Serfontein to show Meyer they are ready to take over from Jean De Villiers and Jacque Fourie when the time is right. Bryan Habana, one of the more senior players, has also regained some of his form that earned him three SA Rugby Player of the year awards. Habana partnered with Bjorn Basson on the wing in the absence of Lwazi Mvovo and JP Pietersen. Ever-present and always looking for an attacking opportunity, Willie Le Roux, took full advantage in the absence of fullback Zane Kirchner. Meyer might be playing horses for courses with these two and might call on the more experienced Kirchner when facing the All Blacks and Wallabies.

With all this talent coming through where does it leave players like Francios Hougaard, Pat Lambie, Elton Jantjies, Johan Goosen and Francios Steyn?

Whichever way you look at it, Heyneke Meyer is starting a new chapter in Springbok rugby, he's breaking away from the traditional mold of player selection in his quest to make the Springboks the best team in the world.

EP Kings u21s to start their campaign

The Eastern Province Kings u21 side will kick off their campaign tomorrow,  against the Pumas in Nelspruit. The Kings Academy juniors, who won last year’s u21 First Division Currie Cup, fell short in the promotion relegation game losing 21-15 to Border u21s in East London. They will aim to go one better this year with the biggest objective being promotion. The u21s coach Robbie Kempson named a strong side, 7 of whom were part of the squad who played in the promotion relegation last year.

 

A lot of the names will be familiar to Kings Supporters with many of the youngsters having been involved in the initial stages of the Currie Cup and four of which have Super Rugby experience. Former St Andrew’s boy Dane van der Westhuyzen will captain the side. He is an impressive hooker who at a very young age looks to be the complete package. He is a strong ball carrier and boasts of a great pedigree at set pieces, accurate lineout work and a good scrummager. His mobility will stand him in good stead as he looks to assert himself in his 2nd campaign with the u21s. 

Shane Gates is a name well known to the Kings faithful, it seems like he’s been around forever, yet he’s only 20 (turns 21 in September). As a seasoned campaigner in the junior structure, the backline will look to him for leadership and most certainly his game breaking ability. His centre partner Ace Jho needs no introduction if you follow your schoolboy rugby. The outside centre, a former Dale College 1st XV captain was a schoolboy sensation who played 4 years of 1st XV rugby at Dale and donned the SA Schools no.12 jersey for 2 consecutive years in 2009 and 2010. Another old Dalian in the side is the ever impressive Shakes Soyizwapi who boasts a handful of Super Rugby caps himself, he’ll look to launch those counter attacks from the back and punish any bad kicks using his pace and deceptive step.

The side also has a youthful feel to it with 3 of the men still eligible for u19 rugby. Sergeal Petersen and Aidon Davis were both part of the same Eastern Province Craven Week side last year, both went on to represent SA Schools and both signed to stay with the Kings after school. This year their journey has also been very similar, both young lads making their Super Rugby debuts for the Kings and both were selected for the SA u20 Baby Boks squad to go to France before Sergeal had to pull out with an injury. They now will both make their u21 debut in the same match. The 3rd u19 lad is young Kevin Kaba who will start in the no.5 jersey, the former Queen’s College deputy headboy is comfortable in both the 2nd and back rows. He played most of his rugby in his last year at school in the no.8 jersey. Unable to go to Craven Week last year due to Border’s ruling that a player signed to another union wouldn’t play for their Craven Week team, he’ll relish the chance to play provincial rugby again in the red and black hoops.

 

I caught up with Coach Robbie Kempson for a quick word before they boarded their flight on their way to Nelspruit. He had this to say, “We have quality talent in the Eastern Cape and the squad have bonded into a special unit together, and we’re looking forward to seeing them displaying their talents.”

All the best to the u21 team as they begin their big campaign in the pursuit of promotion to the u21 Currie Cup A division. The Kings Army is behind you.

EP Kings u21 team:

15 Siviwe Soyizwapi (Dale College) 

14 Sergeal Petersen (Grey High School, PE) 

13 Andile Jho (Dale College) 

12 Shane Gates (Muir College) 

11 Eben Barnard (Brandwag) 

10 Marlou van Niekerk (Marlow Landbou) 

09 Bangi Kobese (Dale College) 

08 Aidon Davis (Daniel Pienaar) 

07 Claude Tshidibi (Potch Boys’ High School) 

06 Siphesihle Punguzwa (Selborne College) 

05 Kevin Kaba (Queen’s College) 

04 Kuhle Sonkosi (Westering High School) 

03 Pieter Stemmet (Paul Roos Gymnasium) 

02 Dane van der Westhuyzen (C) (St Andrew’s College) 

01 Marzuq Maarman (Muir College)

 

Reserves:

16 Ruan Roberts (Daniel Pienaar) 

17 Vukile Sofisa (Grey High School, PE) 

18 Sanwell Jacobs (John Walton High School) 

19 Wayvern Smith (Brandwag) 

20 Sonwabo Majola (Muir College) 

21 Ofentse Boloko (Selborne College) 

22 Lonwabo Ntleki (KES)

HEAD COACH: Robbie Kempson

ASSISTANT COACH: Mzwandile Stick    

Ludumo Nkabi  

Bitter sweet end

It was with great disappointment that we watched the Southern Kings bow out of Super Rugby with a victory against the Lions in front of a packed Ellis Park. Sadly the victory was not enough to secure the franchise from the Eastern Cape a place in Super Rugby in 2014. Looking back there were crucial moments that could’ve made a huge difference in the outcome, but it is of no consequence crying over spilt milk. It’s time for the Port Elizabeth based franchise to move forward.

 

The Southern Kings have had a fairytale season. Saturday 23rd of February 2013, they came out in their first game and gave the Eastern Cape a night they will never forget, beating the Western Force 22-10 in front of a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. A few weeks later they came from behind to draw with eventual losing Super Rugby finalists the Brumbies in Canberra, a week thereafter they won their 1st game on tour against Rebels in Melbourne. The last victory of the season came in an inspirational performance in Port Elizabeth against the Highlanders.

 It is now time to build on what they’ve achieved this season and central to this is making sure of the success of the Eastern Province Kings. While there is still a bit of uncertainty around whether there will be a promotion-relegation match next year for Super Rugby, the ultimate goal should be for both the senior and junior sides to earn promotion to Currie Cup Premier division. 

While the Pumas seem set to finish top of the log with the Kings 10 points of the pace, 1 or 2 slip ups from the men from Mpumalanga could see the men from Port Elizabeth go up to number 1 on the log giving them a chance to contest the promotion-relegation match against the team that comes last in the Premier Pivision. It should at least prove a bit of an incentive for our current seniors and any other seniors we may look to bring in. 

The u19s and u21s however are yet to begin their Currie Cup campaigns making it that much more important that they realise how crucial the promotion of the junior sides is to keeping Eastern Province Kings rugby in a healthy position. It will in many respects help the region with talent retention as all the talented youngsters want to play in the best junior competitions in the country and certainly help the upcoming talent with regards to quality opposition. This will also enable the Kings to build a strong base of players who can make the transition to senior rugby easier whether it would be Super Rugby or Currie Cup Premier Division. 

The Kings I am sure are well aware that the success should start at the bottom and should be built up from there, the platform has been laid by our reasonable success in Super Rugby, and it’s time for the union to move 1 level up. Good luck to all our Currie Cup teams, the 1994 breed (u19s), u21s and the seniors.  

 

Congratulations to the Lions, wish them and all their supporters all the best for next year’s Super Rugby competition. Last but not least, I think I speak for all the supporters of the Southern Kings when I say it has been a great experience to be in Super Rugby. All the best to the players who will leave Port Elizabeth, to all those who rallied behind the team even during the difficult times, the administrators, the management, the players and the people of Eastern Cape, one big resounding THANK YOU. 

Ludumo Nkabi

​​​​

One last challenge

The scene is set for one last epic challenge, as the Southern Kings and Lions prepare to meet for their promotion / relegation play off, to claim a spot in next years Super Rugby competition.

The fact that the Southern Kings made history in their first ever Super Rugby match when they beat the visiting Western Force. Managed a draw against the Brumbies in Australia, their first away win against the Rebels and a bonus point win over the Highlanders at home will count for nothing when they face the Lions in their first match in Port Elizabeth on Friday night.

The Lions who were relegated at the end of last years Super Rugby competition, when they finished last in the South African Conference will surely enter the promotion / relegation matches with a lot of confidence. They have been unbeaten during the season, but even that will all be in the past when these two teams take the field. Crowned as the Vodacom Cup Champions and unbeaten during the Lions Challenge, with only the Sharks and Griquas giving them a good run for their money.

Acting CEO Charl Crous, urged the people of the region to once again come out in their numbers and show their support, to stand up and be counted. He also called on the people to wear black, as a way of  showing their support for the Southern Kings.

“Once again we have opted to give the best value for money and will be sticking to our standard price range, from R30 to R110 per ticket, as we did for the other super rugby matches,” said Crous.

Crous said aside from the Super Rugby promotion / relegation game, spectators would also be able to catch the ABSA Currie Cup First Division game between the EP Kings and the Boland Cavaliers, which kicks off at 4:15pm.

“After a tough start to the season the EP Kings will be fighting to try and regain their place at the top of the ABSA Currie Cup first division log, with the hopes of still making it to the promotion /relegation games for a spot in premier division,” he said.

This game will then be followed by the first of two matches against the MTN Lions, which kicks off at 7.10pm. The second match will be played in Johannesburg on Saturday, the 3rd of August, the time is still to be confirmed.

“As for the Super Rugby playoffs, we are aware that it’s do or die and our players are doing everything they can to prepare themselves for what is going to be a titanic clash. But we cannot do this alone.”

Southern Kings eye another Super Rugby record

The Southern Kings might just have another Super Rugby record next to their name in their debut season. 

They re wrote the record books by becoming the first newly added franchise to win their opening game against the Western Force way back in February. 

A couple of months have passed between that historic first home game and their upcoming last home game against the Stormers on Saturday, and they are about to possibly become the franchise with the best crowd attendance for 2013. 

“At the beginning of the season we said that we wanted to bring top flight rugby to the region that we would strive to make it accessible through competitive pricing, and our attendance figures have shown that we have succeeded,” he said Acting CEO, Charl Crous. 

Crous also said that, should the game on Saturday be sold out, the Southern Kings could break another record, boasting the best overall crowd attendance of the season. 

“We still have around 4,500 tickets available for the match, but they are selling fast,”  

“We are currently sitting in third place overall, with 209,166 people having passed through the gates of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The only other franchises to date that have had more supporters at their home games are the Stormers, with 222,945 visitors and the Reds, with 254,693,” he said. 

Crous said a capacity crowd of 46,000 at the weekend would push the Southern Kings attendance figures past the Reds, who have already hosted all their home games, and would mean that the Stormers would need to get in excess of 32,000 people at the game against the Bulls next weekend to top the list. 

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium gates open at 1pm, with the game between the Cheetahs and Blues being broadcast on the big screens at the Beer tent from 3pm. 

Eastern Province Rugby facing some new challenges

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. 

Kings to play Currie Cup Premier Division (Part 2)

The views of the Southern Kings were starting to change slightly among the media and were even given the thumbs up to stand a chance in beating a struggling Bulls side. They also welcomed back their inspirational captain, Luke Watson who got injured in their first game against the Force, but not even he could change the outcome of the match as the effects of a tiring tour was taking its toll on the players as nothing went their way on the night and unable to score a single point, went down 34 - 0. They played the Cheetahs the following week in Bloemfontein, they kept the home side from scoring four tries but were unable to close the 14 point deficit. The Waratahs came to Port Elizabeth to give the Southern Kings their first proper hiding, scoring 11 tries in the process to bring the final score to 72 - 10 after the 80 minutes.

The Southern Kings had to dig deep for their 10th consecutive match when they faced the bottom of the log Highlanders. Alan Solomons always said the team is build on character, and character was maybe a bit more then what they needed when they faced the Highlanders, with one game left before they get a well deserved beak. Their character came through strong against the Highlanders, Watson was leading magnificently from the front with two of his teams four tries. Their defense held out when it was needed the most and they recorded a well deserved bonus point win, 34 - 27. They were unable to build on that momentum when they came back from their break to face the Cheetahs at home and went down 22 - 34.

The Southern Kings have showed they are here to play rugby, their record might not look that great as they played 12, won 3 drawn 1 and lost 8, they have scored 244 points and conceded 415 points, scored 22 and conceded 50 tries with 2 bonus points and 24 log points. Maybe not bad for a debut season but that will definitely change with more experience. 

What good has Super Rugby done for the Eastern Cape and the Southern Kings? Its brought top rugby and players back to the Eastern Cape, its filled the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with much joy. SA rugby is again starting to look at players, with Sergeal Petersen selected for the u20 side and Demetri Catrakilis invited to join the Springbok training camp, and with another year they might look at players like SP Marais, Shaun Venter, Cornel du Preez, Wimpie van der Walt or Jacques Engelbrecht just to name a few.

In my opinion the best thing SARU can do for EP Rugby if they really want to see growth in the province is to accommodate them to play in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup, not a promo/relegation but to add them to the competition. And this is why; let's say the Kings beat the Lions in the promo/relegation match at the end of the Super Rugby campaign, EP Kings will play 1st division where the rest of the teams will go into Super Rugby 2014 with Currie Cup momentum and can easily adapt to the pace of Super Rugby, the Southern Kings will always be a few paces behind. 

There is with out a doubt something special happening within Eastern Province Rugby, NMMU having their best season to date in the Varsity Cup, Despatch winning the first ever Cell C Community Cup, EP Kings reached the semi final in the Vodacom Cup, rugby is definitely on a high and we can only hope the momentum won't be stopped and we see EP rugby fall back into a dark place. 

Kings to play Currie Cup Premier Division (Part 1)

I wrote the following piece on why EP Kings should be included in the Currie Cup Premier Division in the June issue of Sport Elizabeth.

The Southern Kings have showed what a team can do with a little heart and determination, and what you can accomplish if you want to prove a point. They were given very little chance of any success during their debut Super Rugby season, in fact not even a win and most will be like "cricket scores". 

Questions were asked if they will have the depth to outlast the tough competition, will they get a sponsor and will they be able to fill the stadium. A vast majority of South Africans were against the inclusion and might still be after they replaced the Lions who finished last on the over all log in last year competition.

The franchise struggled to sign any big names or former Eastern Cape players as that was the original plan to bring those players back home. The Kings have already secured former Eastern Cape boys, Luke Watson who returned to South Africa after leaving English club Bath and Micheal Killian who decided to return to Port Elizabeth to further his career after a successful 3 years at the Lions which included the Currie Cup in 2010.

New signing included one former Eastern Cape boy and Sharks lock Steven Sykes, Cheetah center Andries Strauss, Lions hooker Bandisa Maku and Lions lock David Bulbring. They also caused a lot of controversy when they named all their foreign players in their Super Rugby squad, namely Daniel Adongo, Nicolas Vergallo, Thomas Leonardi, Virgile Lacombe and Hadleigh Parks. 

Parks was the only player that featured regularly in the starting xv at center but when he broke his arm it gave an opportunity to Ronnie Cooke to make that jersey his own. Very little did we know Maku will keep French hooker Virgile Lacombe out of the starting xv, Maku is really been one of the players that took full advantage of this opportunity to play Super Rugby at the Southern Kings and has been one of the stand out players and played himself as the first choice hooker who keeps on improving game by game. Daniel Adongo and Thomas Leonardi had to happy to play a handful of games and help out at the Vodacom Cup as local players Wimpie van der Walt and Cornel du Preez are keeping them out of the team. Argentinian scrumhalf Nicolas Vergallo is the only other player thats had regular game time, but also second choice to Shaun Venter.

Before the start of the season you would have probably said who's Cornel du Preez, Wimpie van der Walt, Shaun Venter and Jacques Engebrecht. Demetri Catrakilis is not a first choice Super Rugby flyhalf. Andries Strauss, Ronnie Cooke and Steven Sykes are past their prime and cant keep up with the pace anymore. Sergeal Petersen is too young to be playing Super Ruby at the age of 18.   

The Southern Kings started their Super Rugby by re-writing the history books as the only new franchise to enter the competition and win their first game when they beat the Western Force in front of a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth op the 23rd of February 2013. That game will also be remembered for young Sergeal Petersens two tries and being awarded man of the match in his debut game. The Southern Kings went into their next to games facing the finalists of last years Super Rugby competition, losing to the Sharks by 9 points and the Chiefs by 11 points.

Most expected the worst for their first over seas tour, facing the Canterbury Crusaders, Hurricanes, Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels. Their 100+ score line against 7 times Super Rugby Champions Crusaders turned out to be a 35 point difference. The game against the Hurricanes would've been the one where they get humiliated, that turned out to be a 16 point ball game. The Southern Kings started to get momentum and started believing in themselves as they headed to Australia to face the Brumbies and the Rebels. They probably managed to biggest upset when they drew 28 all against then over all log leaders the Brumbies as they went the extra mile to score their bonus point and equalising try in the 82 minute of the game. The following week they went one step further and won their first game over seas as they beat the Rebels with an injury time drop goal by Demetri Catrakilis, 27 - 30. The Southern Kings returned to Port Elizabeth as heroes, bringing back 7 log points from their 4 games.

Part two to follow...