Unless EP move quickly to establish a high-performance academy, players will continue to be poached and taken away from the Eastern Cape by richer unions, the union’s president, George Malgas, says.
Malgas made the comments after concerns were expressed by SA rugby bosses that the EP Elephants and NMU Madibaz were languishing in rugby’s lower Currie Cup and varsity leagues.
EP’s inability to hang onto top players was highlighted this week when officials announced that powerful Elephants prop forward Zuki Sali had signed to play for the Pumas in the Currie Cup Premier Division.
Elephants coach Allister Coetzee echoed Malgas’s sentiments, saying the union needed to retain its top players to build continuity.
SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer said it was important for players to have something to play for in the Eastern Cape to end the talent drain.
EP missed out on promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division when they ended seventh on the SA Cup log and the Madibaz lost to the University of Johannesburg in a Varsity Cup promotion/relegation match.
“What we have realised is that we need to have an academy here in Gqeberha,” Malgas said.
“Without a properly run academy, boys will be poached and that is the reality of the system as it is in SA to what happens beyond schoolboy rugby if you don’t have anything to offer to the boys.
“Once we are back in Varsity Cup and once we have an academy going here, we would lose a lot fewer boys.
“There are good stories to be told out there.
“If you talk about township rugby, we had one of the main investors for township rugby, Lincoln Mali, in our suite at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium during the Under-20 Rugby Championship tournament in Gqeberha.
“The enthusiasm and excitement for the game in this region are fantastic.”
“At the conclusion of the Mzwandile Mali Schools tournament, a team of 23 of the best players of the tournament were chosen to play at tournaments throughout SA
“One of the Junior Bok team that played in Gqeberha, Batho Hlekani, comes from that system
“As an EP executive, with the support and understanding of our leadership at Saru, we are working day and night to ensure this region goes back to where it belongs.
“There is great collaboration between the coaches of EP (Allister Coetzee) and the NMU university (David Manuel).
“The coaches interact with one another, and we are tracking our schoolboys from a very young age.”
Oberholzer said EP needed to work hand-in-hand with the Madibaz on the question of player retention and development.
“It is important for the schoolboys here in the Eastern Cape to have something to play for,” he said.
“So, it is vital there is collaboration between EP Rugby and the Nelson Mandela University and the schools to ensure that players stay here in Gqeberha.
“That will mean they do not have to go somewhere else to play Varsity Cup rugby or Premier Division Currie Cup rugby.
“With a rebuild [of EP rugby] hopefully opportunities will be there for the players not to leave the Eastern Cape.
“They could then stay here and play their rugby here.”
Madibaz president Danie Gouws said meetings between EP and his club were continuing.
“At the start of the season, we had a great meeting which lasted about two hours, and we are going to work together,” he said.
“EP president George Malgas and executive member Phillip Joseph were present and NMU were represented by coach David Manuel, our full executive and me.
“If we have a strong NMU team, then we also have a strong EP side.
“A lot of very positive things came out of our meeting with EP.
“This is the biggest province with the most clubs, and we need to turn it into a powerhouse.”
The Herald
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