It is difficult to find anyone involved in the administration of Eastern Province rugby who does not have a beaming smile on their dial these days. Now that their crippling financial woes have been cast aside, the daunting battle to make EP’s junior and senior teams more competitive starts in earnest. EP president Andre Rademan wants next month’s Supersport Rugby Challenge triple-header at the Wolfson Stadium to be a celebration for the resurgent union. The main match of the day, between EP and Western Province on April 22, will mark the return of the much-loved elephant logo to the EP jersey. Last year, more than 10 000 fans attended the triple-header and Rademan is hoping for an even bigger crowd this time. “I am really looking forward to the day and it is great that the tournament is kicking off here in Port Elizabeth,” Rademan said. “We are playing the defending champions, Western Province, so it will be a massive game. Imagine if we can win that one. “It is a big ask, but we will use some of the PRO14 players because the Southern Kings have a big squad. “I am hoping for a big crowd and it will be a celebration day for Eastern Province and the return of the elephant logo and all its heritage,” Rademan said. Last year, Western Province completed a dream season in the inaugural SuperSport Rugby Challenge by beating a gutsy Griquas 28-19 in Cape Town to become the first winners of the tournament. The victory, their 11th in a row, delivered not only R500 000 in prize money but also ensured that they remained unbeaten in the tournament. “We will try to get the strongest side on the field to play Western Province,” Rademan said “The plan is to use some of our Southern Kings PRO14 players and some of our club players. Last year we did not have money to sign players and we had to use club players in a professional competition because we wanted to make the financial turnaround.” Rademan said his union’s strategic planning meeting had been a big success.
“Deon Davids is the head coach and all structures will report to him. That was one of the decisions taken at the meeting. We also spoke about how to merge the amateur and professional arms and the need to retain players. Also, we do not need two chief executives, because that is money that we can save. “Deon has presented a fantastic plan regarding amateurs, high performance and our professionals. It is like triangle, with schools, clubs and junior Currie Cup teams involved. “We want to bring players through this high performance structure and then play for the Kings if they are good enough.” Rademan said he had also had a productive meeting with new Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus. “We spoke about the turnaround strategy and how to become a winning entity. A lot of people underestimated the PRO14. In Super Rugby they go through six or seven phases before they score. In PRO14 they go though 21 stages. “In the game the Kings lost to Leinster there were seven Irish test players in the opposition team. One must also remember that Ireland are No 3 in the world. Rassie told me it is very near to test rugby, including the conditions.” Rademan’s EPRU are now effectively in charge of the Kings PRO14 side, after SA Rugby named a new board to manage the affairs of the franchise. The board elected Rademan as chairman and businessman and sports official Mtobi Tyamzashe as deputy. “The fact that the EP president is chairman of the board effectively brings the Kings back under our control,” Rademan said. Other EP representatives on the new board are deputy president Bantwini Matika and EPRU finance committee chairman Shaheed Patel. Tyamzashe, Gugu Nxiweni and Mxolisi Nkula were elected as independent directors and Charl Crous, chief operating officer of the Southern Kings, completes the composition of the board. EP’s president wants to sign some star players to boost the Kings for next season. “We need four or five big names that can change the whole perception of the Kings. If you are a youngster and someone like Bismarck du Plessis is the hooker it will lift the entire front row because you trust him. “So we will try to get more established players. We are busy working on a strategy to get the funds to sign big-name players.” Days later, Rademan announced that he had signed 33-year-old former Cheetahs and Dragons scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius to play for the Kings. Rademan says he has never been more optimistic about the future of EP rugby and many fans will share his confidence after the union reported a R3-million profit at its annual meeting. For the moment, everyone has a smile on their dial as they contemplate the future.