Knives out for embattled EP boss Watson

Rugby emotions are set to boil over when angry clubs launch another bid to topple Eastern Province president Cheeky Watson at a SA Rugby-convened general meeting in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

Previous meetings have been marred by brawling; armed police were on duty outside an EP meeting at Algoa Park earlier this year.

The East Cape representative of the Rugby Transformation Coalition, Qondakele Sompondo, has accused Watson and his executive of reckless trading and poor leadership.

“We need a clean start. Cheeky and his cronies must take a walk,” Sompondo said.

The cash-strapped EP Rugby Union is facing a liquidation hearing in the courts on Thursday.

SA Rugby is convening the meeting, where all the agenda items from the adjourned meeting of May 31 will be discussed, Sompondo said.

“Chief among them is the vote of no confidence that was submitted but not tabled because of a lack of quorum.

“Saru will also give a detailed report on the state of affairs.”

The main grievances clubs have against the union are:

lPresenting questionable financial statements;

l Lack of accountability;

l The EP Kings;

lSA Rugby takeover of the Southern Kings;

l Messing up club rugby competition structures; and

lSponsorship bungles.

An issue which has angered clubs is EP Rugby’s decision to change the club rugby structure.

“If we apply our constitution correctly, none of the current executive members would be eligible to serve again on the grounds of not being in “good standing” with the Union,” Sompondo said.

“They have not tabled the financials of the PTY that is now facing liquidation and the union financials were not approved.

“It would be worse if we get liquidated on Thursday because it would mean they presided over a liquidation – first for EP rugby post unification – generating a debt of over R70-million in the process which can be viewed as reckless trading.”

The Kings are now under SA Rugby administration and the clubs will be addressed by the Saru- appointed administrator, Monde Tabata.

It is expected that Tabata will report to clubs on the latest developments at Monday’s meeting.

Watson has not commented since the Saru takeover referring all questions to the mother body.

However, close allies of Watson said the president is “gatvol” and wants to step down once there is stability in the union. “I have maintained since day one that this executive under Cheeky Watson is out of their depth,” Sompondo said.

It has emerged that Tabata has pleaded with SA Rugby bosses not to include them in the Currie Cup Premier Division or the lower First Division.

Sources said Tabata had recommended that plans for the Currie Cup should be abandoned because EP were not in a position to field a team.

It is believed that the recommendation was tabled at an SA Rugby meeting on Friday, where top officials gathered to discuss the problems of the union.

The administrator motivated their application by saying that they were not in a position to field a team of the standard required in the available time and that they do not have the financial resources to compete.