A top level four-man task team, including SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux, will begin preliminary talks on how to rescue the cash-strapped EP Rugby Union in Cape Town today.
There will then be a follow-up meeting tomorrow when the task team’s findings and their plan will be tabled before SA Rugby’s general council at a special meeting.
If the eleventh hour rescue plan fails and the more than R18-million owed to aggrieved players is not forthcoming by May 10, EP Rugby’s fall from grace could be placed under further scrutiny.
Well-placed sources believe that the general council will approve the plan to bail out EP Rugby.
But, even if the rescue plan is approved, EP Rugby president Cheeky Watson is still facing a vote of no confidence from disgruntled clubs unhappy with the way he and his leadership have performed.
The task team comprises Roux, Mark Alexander (SA Rugby vice-president), and executive members Monde Tabata and Francois Davids.
After the meetings in Cape Town the EP Rugby executive committee and the task team will finalise a date for an EP special meeting. A tentative date of May 7 has been set for the meeting where unhappy clubs are planning to table a vote of no confidence in Watson and his executive.
But disgruntled clubs are not happy with the new date and have accused EP Rugby of employing delaying tactics.
After a report on Tuesday that EP Rugby had ignored a request to convene a special general meeting a notice was sent to clubs yesterday informing them that a tentative date of May 7 had been set.
The initial deadline for EP to respond to a request for the meeting by five clubs was by close of business tonight.
However, the delay in EP’s response to the request for a meeting was met with anger.
“We received with regret the tentative date of May 7 proposed by EPRU today. We find it is unconstitutional and yet another clear indication of how badly Cheeky has been running our union,” Wayne Draghoender, chairperson of Booysen Pride RFC, one of the five clubs that submitted letters to EPRU requesting a special general meeting, said.
“They received a request on March 3 and only send a notice 27 days later for a meeting in two months? I mean, that is no longer a special meeting.
“We will escalate this matter to Saru because we need a meeting next week,” Draghoender said.
Clubs want the following issues discussed at the meeting:
l 2016 Currie Cup team.
l Grand Challenge fixtures are currently not taking place until they are tabled to the union committee.
l Vote of no confidence
l Appointment of auditors.
Meanwhile, SA Rugby have announced a “very satisfactory” operating result for the year ended December 2015, with a group pre-tax surplus of R33.3-million, significantly higher than the R2.9-million achieved in the previous financial year.
The result was due to a combination of improved revenues and a measure of cost savings, Roux said. “In a very difficult economic environment, we consider this a very satisfactory operating result, which was well above budget.
“Group revenue rose to close to R1-billion (R967-million), 18% up from the 2014 level (R820-million), due mainly to our share of the new revenue stream from SA Rugby Travel.”
The financial results are scheduled to be approved at tomorrow’s annual meeting.
Saru task team formed to sort out EP union
There will then be a follow-up meeting tomorrow when the task team’s findings and their plan will be tabled before SA Rugby’s general council at a special meeting.
If the eleventh hour rescue plan fails and the more than R18-million owed to aggrieved players is not forthcoming by May 10, EP Rugby’s fall from grace could be placed under further scrutiny.
Well-placed sources believe that the general council will approve the plan to bail out EP Rugby.
But, even if the rescue plan is approved, EP Rugby president Cheeky Watson is still facing a vote of no confidence from disgruntled clubs unhappy with the way he and his leadership have performed.
The task team comprises Roux, Mark Alexander (SA Rugby vice-president), and executive members Monde Tabata and Francois Davids.
After the meetings in Cape Town the EP Rugby executive committee and the task team will finalise a date for an EP special meeting. A tentative date of May 7 has been set for the meeting where unhappy clubs are planning to table a vote of no confidence in Watson and his executive.
But disgruntled clubs are not happy with the new date and have accused EP Rugby of employing delaying tactics.
After a report on Tuesday that EP Rugby had ignored a request to convene a special general meeting a notice was sent to clubs yesterday informing them that a tentative date of May 7 had been set.
The initial deadline for EP to respond to a request for the meeting by five clubs was by close of business tonight.
However, the delay in EP’s response to the request for a meeting was met with anger.
“We received with regret the tentative date of May 7 proposed by EPRU today. We find it is unconstitutional and yet another clear indication of how badly Cheeky has been running our union,” Wayne Draghoender, chairperson of Booysen Pride RFC, one of the five clubs that submitted letters to EPRU requesting a special general meeting, said.
“They received a request on March 3 and only send a notice 27 days later for a meeting in two months? I mean, that is no longer a special meeting.
“We will escalate this matter to Saru because we need a meeting next week,” Draghoender said.
Clubs want the following issues discussed at the meeting:
l 2016 Currie Cup team.
l Grand Challenge fixtures are currently not taking place until they are tabled to the union committee.
l Vote of no confidence
l Appointment of auditors.
Meanwhile, SA Rugby have announced a “very satisfactory” operating result for the year ended December 2015, with a group pre-tax surplus of R33.3-million, significantly higher than the R2.9-million achieved in the previous financial year.
The result was due to a combination of improved revenues and a measure of cost savings, Roux said. “In a very difficult economic environment, we consider this a very satisfactory operating result, which was well above budget.
“Group revenue rose to close to R1-billion (R967-million), 18% up from the 2014 level (R820-million), due mainly to our share of the new revenue stream from SA Rugby Travel.”
The financial results are scheduled to be approved at tomorrow’s annual meeting.
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