High Noon looms in Spears’ Super 14 fight
Posted by Boertjie - 10/03/06 at 08:03 am under Rugby Administration, Super 14SA Rugby must confirm the Spears’ place in next year’s Super 14 by noon today or face a possible court action from the new franchise in order for them to “protect their financial posisition.”
The Spears CEO, Tony McKeever said: “We don’t particularly want to take SA Rugby to court, but we have to protect our financial position.”
He says SA Rugby is desperate to get the participants’ agreement signed after the five competing franchises have refused to sign the agreements because they are unhappy with the clause that will confirm the Spears’ automatic promotion to the series.
In his reaction to the written letter Saru CEO Johan Prinsloo said it was unnecessary and that “small matters can easily be solved off the field.”
Franchises want to exploit Saru’s pressure
McKeever told News24 SA Rugby officials are meeting Sanzar next week and they will have to produce the signed agreements. They are facing tremendous pressure and the other franchises want to exploit it.
“Why must the Spears be the victims? We’ve asked SA Rugby to confirm our participation and they have to do that by 12:00 on Friday.”
Directors approved the decision
McKeever says the Spears’ right of existence cannot be withdrawn now: “The presidents’ council decided to award a franchise to the south-eastern Cape on June 8 last year and SA Rugby’s board of directors approved the decision on December 2.
“Strictly speaking this decision cannot legally be changed now, but it can be enforced,” McKeever said.
Snake in a chicken coop
He says SA Rugby has created expectations with the presidents’ council decision, later approved by the board of directors: “We started an entire network after that decision. Sponsors especially have been approached ,” McKeever explained.
SA Rugby’s CEO, Johan Prinsloo, has confirmed that they have received a request from the Spears: “It really isn’t necessary to write letters to each other. Why fling a snake into the chicken coop? We can easily solve the small problems off the field.”
March 10th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Is there an eco in hear. Didn’t I read this somewhere else. Dei ja something. howzit guy. Have been quite for a week and will be quite for some time to come. I’m resigning today and is starting my own business. Unfortunately only have dailup at home, so the visits will be few and far apart. So before I go I have one thing to say. SARU, leave the Spears alone. Give them the chance and they will kick ass. GO SPEARS.
March 10th, 2006 at 8:42 am
Hey Firefly, what business you starting?
March 10th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Firefly
Best of luck, give em hell mate.
March 10th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Firefly
I did it three years ago and then got lured back to corporate world with $ signs.
Biggest mistake I ever made.
Keep the nose to the grindstone and stay with it boet.
Good luck.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:05 am
davidS, doesnt firefly sound alot like donner? lol
“Have been ‘quite’ for …. & and ‘is’ starting….”
Sorry firefly, i just had to.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Prinsloo –
“It really isn’t necessary to write letters to each other. Why fling a snake into the chicken coop? We can easily solve the small problems off the field.�
Yossarian stupified with amazement. Is this oke really so that thick ?
The more he opens his mouth the more I think it should be filled with [ self censored - don't want to give Admin a stroke ]
March 10th, 2006 at 9:19 am
yoss, its cos he’s an ‘intelligent’ supporter, like aldo. lol
March 10th, 2006 at 9:21 am
“why fling a snake into the chicken coop ?”
because Mr Prinsloo there are some headless chickens running around in there making kak everywhere, and a snake is what we need to make them good and dead.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:32 am
Yoss – maybe admin would appreciate a stroke…
March 10th, 2006 at 9:35 am
lol, rob, might be worth it
March 10th, 2006 at 9:41 am
I don’t get Prinsloo.
The more I think about it the more I realise the guy was a figurehead that BVR wanted there for appearance sake so he could run the show, while Prinsloo was given a pretty title.
What is Prinsloo’s pedigree in corporate management that justifies him to be a CEO?
Admin is a Spears machine so it would appreciate having some positive input about them.
The problem is simple as Tony said when he was ineterviewed her.
The Big Five did all their shennanigans behind his back, so why should he trust them? Now they’re doing the same with SARU and one of their own is in charge.
And the ineffectual Johan Prinsloo keeps becoming more and more of an embarrassment to our rugby with comments like the “snake in the chicken coop”
March 10th, 2006 at 9:46 am
The one thing though is that in an urgent application, the court can make a very fast decision.
SARU should be careful some judge doesn’t chop their little shennanigans off at the knees with one sweeping judgement.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Fire prinsloo
Appoint Tony Mckeever as SARU CEO- he is structurally sound- must learn to keep his mouth zipped on some strategic issues though
Let the Spears Play- and get their arses handed tpo them for two years- SARU to pay for the SA guys in UK to play in PE- most of them will come home
Scrap the pathetic rule that 8 players must join Spears- that aint gonna fly- they will be more injured than Sicknote
Get SANZAR To provide SUPER 6 Tourney for Melbourne-Adelaide, SA relegated team – 1 pacific team 1 Japanese team and 1 Argy team to compete at the same time as Super 14
That way Rugby will win.
March 10th, 2006 at 9:51 am
BTW
Good luck Firefly- it takes guts to do it
March 10th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Sorry guys,
Seems to have been a slip up and this thread was posted twice. Here is the comments from the other thread which no longer exists.
Didn’t think we will still be having growing pains
The Spears are right to put pressure on SA Rugby. They must go on the offensive and demand that all the uncertainty be cleared. The big Unions must no that they are not the beall and end all.In the greater scheme of things the future of rugby cannot be decided by a group of people who have little integrity and can be easily swayed.
Comment by Lefty — March 10, 2006 @ 8:26 am
Lefty, I agree, one way or another this thing has to be put to bed! No one knows what is going on!
Comment by KietieCat — March 10, 2006 @ 8:29 am
The Spiers must at some stage know where they stand. This is the only course open to them as they are getting nowhere with the powers that be. As unpleasant as it may turn out to be, it is by far better than making threats of getting Government involved
Comment by JJ — March 10, 2006 @ 8:33 am
Johan
It’s NOT a small problem.
It’s a problem YOU created.
This thing must now be put to bed and if it means the old ooms in the black capes and wigs must do it then so be it.
I agree with Tony.
Also notice how Johan calls it a small problem when it bladdy well isn’t. Geez, the guy has no communication skills whatsoever.
Comment by DavidS — March 10, 2006 @ 8:53 am
March 10th, 2006 at 10:03 am
OO, agree with your suggestion re Super 6 tourny. It could also be a way to get Argie teams into SANZAR where they belong, both in Super x and Tri Nations which should be 4 Nations.
It will be in the SA teams best interests if Aussie and NZ teams have to travel to S America. Come to SA, play a couple of hard games, and then travel not home as you are accustomed boyos, but into Buenos Aires. That can be a tough place to play as well.
The current set up is crazy – biased against SA teams with the unequal travel requirements. We shouldn’t underestimate the effects of travel.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Yoss
I have it on reasonably good authority that the hottest chicks in the world are in Buenos Aires
March 10th, 2006 at 10:19 am
ok, sign me up for the tour
March 10th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Nick Mallet walks into the strategy room at Newlands with all the Guys sitting infront of him.
He tells them: � If you want to win the S14 this year you will have to tuff, very tuff.�
“In fact you will have to be as tuff as this, let me show you�, he says and opens the box infront of him.
He pulls out a small crocodile (about 1m) by the neck, pulls down his pants and let the crock bite him in the but. He lets go, and with the crock still hanging from his behind he continues: � This is how tuff you will have to be..This tuff. CAN YOU BE THIS TOUGH??�.
Then after about 1min he pokes the crock in the eye and it drops to the floor.
He picks it up and while holding it in his one hand asks: � NOW WHO WANTS TO BE NEXT “.
No one says a word. After a short silence, Gus Theron raises his hand and says in a stuttering voice:
� I..I..will be next sir, as long as you don’t poke me in the eye, and let me drop to the floor�
March 10th, 2006 at 10:37 am
Yoss
The idea with the Super SIx is to have another tornament- Super 14 to continue as is
Super Six will- within the Sanzar ambit provide an alternative platform to strut your stuff- face it until SARU aligns themselves with the idea that when you talk regions- the Bulls & the Cats should be one region we will always struggle to fit 6 regions into 5 Super 14 slots
It is not possible to expand the S14 into anything much bigger- so
start another series- running parallel to grow the game in Australia- Argentina & japan
March 10th, 2006 at 10:41 am
So, I can let the cat out of the bag. It is the Lawyers lurking in the passages of SA Rugby. And they will stay there till 12 then ….
March 10th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Which lawyers admin? Spears or SARU?
March 10th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Spears
March 10th, 2006 at 10:52 am
OO,
agree that S14 is about max in size and time. I favour a new format though. Not that this is realistic, but ideally get rid of the Farce and 1 team from SA – on performance we don’t deserve 5 teams. Then add a PI team and an Argie team. Something like that anyway.
Get rid of the 3 nations and have a SH Cup. To be played every second year mind. SA, Aus, NZ plus PI plus Argies. That would make for some awesome rugby.
In alternate years when there is no SH cup we can have some good old fashioned tours. Man, I miss those 3 match, 4 match tours.
These are not my ideas, merely repeating what I have picked up on this site and elsewhere.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:57 am
Of course Marketing will never allow this as the money is with TV audiences in SA, NZ and to a lesser degree Aus.
There is no financial incentive to include the other nations, so I guess we won’t be seeing them anytime soon.
Nevermind that in the long term it makes sense to grow the game and invest in the future of rugby as a whole.
March 10th, 2006 at 11:01 am
I agree on your take Yoss
Get Currie Cup sane again top 4 to play as their province – scrap regions
hehehe
Surely that aint gonna happen
Agree Strongly on the tour issue
March 10th, 2006 at 11:02 am
cool
March 10th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
I commented yesterday, and feel so strongly that I would like to repeat:
Prinsloo is not an executive type – he is a yes-man, more specifically, he was BvR’s yes-man. He should go, without much ado or fanfaire.
We need somebody like Morne.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Link below gives another ( somewhat biased ) perspective
http://www.rugby365.com/COUNTRY_BY_COUNTRY/South_Africa/Country_News/story_49574.shtml
March 10th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Yossarian,
You my boytjie have the right idea, the old 3 or 4 match Tours were the greatest thing that has left our Rugby world – wish they could fit them in again.