Looking to the future I decided to pick a team of players younger than 24 at the EP Kings to determine the foundation that we have to work on for the future (hopeing that we are able to keep them here). This team will form the base on which a 2016 Super rugby squad will be built if the players remain. The team is as follow (ages in brackets).
15: Scott van Breda (21), Shakes Soyizwapi (20)
14: Siyanda Grey (24), Eben Barnard (21)
13: Selvyn Davids (19), Brian Skosana (21)
12: Shane Gates (21)
11: Sergeal Peterson (19)
10: George Whitehead (24), Marlou van Niekerk (20)
9: Kayle van Zyl (21) , Dwayne Kelly (21)
8: Tim Agaba (24)
7: Aidon Davis (19)
6: Stephan Zaayman (20), CJ Velleman (18)
5: Rynier Bernardo (22)
4: Stefan Willemse (21), Armand du Preez (20)
3: Brendon Olivier (21)
2: Dane van der Westhuizen (21), Albe de Swardt (23)
1: Lizo Gqoboka (23)
(players in BOLD have represented Kings in 1 or more games in 2013 Super rugby)
Some of the older guys moving into the twilight of their careers who can maybe give us another 2-3 years of service (hopefully more to create some squad depth), give the youngsters some guidance and maybe carry us into the 2016 season are as follow.
Steven Sykes (29)
Charl du Plessis (26)
Ronnie Cooke (29)
Michael Killian (29)
Luke Watson (29)
Andries Strauss (29)
From this list the leadership ability of Watson, Sykes and Strauss will be needed in guiding the youngsters through what will hopefully be a successful building period for the Kings.
Looking at the above team (youngsters and the seniors) I believe we have a decent base to build on. A few added signings (proper flyhalf & tight five should be first on our shopping list), maybe 2 or 3 more youngsters putting up their hands for selection, a few players from our franchise partners to bolster the squad and with 1 or 2 overseas players drafted into the squad the Kings should be ready and competitive come 2016.
The Kings should be looking to invest in the following players from the 1st division and if they are able to sign some of the names on this list I will be thrilled with the recruiting done by the Kings.
(All good players and still relatively young)
JW Bell (23) [fullback for Pumas]
JC Roos (23) [flyhalf for Pumas]
Coenie van Wyk (25) [flyhalf/fullback for Pumas]
Grant Kemp (24) [front row for SWD]
Luther Obi (20) [wing for Leopards]
BG Uys (25) [front row for Leopards]
Edgar Maratlule (25) [hooker for Leopards]
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Saturday, 5 October 2013
1st DIVISION - THE CREAM TO SCOOP
Now that the the 1st Division Curriecup group stages have been completed I took a look at the top performers (3 semi finals teams - not Kings) during the competition. They say cream always rises to the top so I had a look at who the young players have been that has risen to the top and showed their class during the 1st Division.
This team excludes Kings players as this list is compiled with the idea of scouting possible players to be signed (scooping the creme of the top) by the Kings to strengthen their squad to be more competitive in the Currie cup. Since the Kings players are not included in this selections and with the Pumas ending top of the log the team is loaded with Puma players. Keep in mind that this article is merely for interest and it is unlikely that any of them these players are to be signed by the Kings.
I know that this is unlikely to happen as funds are required to obtain quality players and without the guarantee of Curriecup we do not really have anything to offer these players.
THE CRITERIA:
1) As I would be looking to sign players for the future and to carry the franchise to and beyond the 2016 season the cut off for signing a player would be 25 years of age. In some positions where players are pretty much the same quality age plays a major factor to consider. Contracting players will have to be a minimum 2 year deal and if we can get a few of these guys to commit for 3 years it will be great.
2) Players coming from the Eastern Cape region will get preference.
THE TEAM:
After sifting the players through the above criteria I decided the following players would make my list of players to approach for possible contracts to create depth and strengthen our current squad.
15) JW Bell (age 23 - Pumas)
14) Luther Obi (age ??? - Leopards)
13) no one really impressed in this position
12) Stefan Watermeyer (age 25 - Pumas)
11) Rosco Spekman (age 24 - Pumas)
10) JC Roos (age 23 - Pumas)
9) Jaco Grobler (age 21 - Leopards)
8) no one really impressed in this position
7) Renaldo Bothma (age24 - Pumas)
6) SJ Niemand (age ??? - Leopards)
5) Schalk Oelofse (age 24 - SWD)
4) MB Lusaseni (age 24 - Leopards) - signed by Lions
3) Grant Kemp (age 24 - SWD)
2) Edgar Maratlule (age 25 - Leopards) or Frank Herne (age 23 - Pumas)
1) BG Uys (age 25 - Leopards)
Please keep in mind that 25 years of age was the cut off and there are obviously other players who would make the team if age was not a factor - RW Kember, Carl Bezuidenhout, Coenie van Wyk, Alshaun Bok etc. etc.
Looking at the above list I am pretty upset that the Kings let Frank Herne go at the end of last season. From the above list of players I have heard that BG Uys & Jaco Grobler have signed with the Kings for the 2014 season.Its a good start but I would like to see at least 3 or 4 more names joining the current squad for next year.
This team excludes Kings players as this list is compiled with the idea of scouting possible players to be signed (scooping the creme of the top) by the Kings to strengthen their squad to be more competitive in the Currie cup. Since the Kings players are not included in this selections and with the Pumas ending top of the log the team is loaded with Puma players. Keep in mind that this article is merely for interest and it is unlikely that any of them these players are to be signed by the Kings.
I know that this is unlikely to happen as funds are required to obtain quality players and without the guarantee of Curriecup we do not really have anything to offer these players.
THE CRITERIA:
1) As I would be looking to sign players for the future and to carry the franchise to and beyond the 2016 season the cut off for signing a player would be 25 years of age. In some positions where players are pretty much the same quality age plays a major factor to consider. Contracting players will have to be a minimum 2 year deal and if we can get a few of these guys to commit for 3 years it will be great.
2) Players coming from the Eastern Cape region will get preference.
THE TEAM:
After sifting the players through the above criteria I decided the following players would make my list of players to approach for possible contracts to create depth and strengthen our current squad.
15) JW Bell (age 23 - Pumas)
14) Luther Obi (age ??? - Leopards)
13) no one really impressed in this position
12) Stefan Watermeyer (age 25 - Pumas)
11) Rosco Spekman (age 24 - Pumas)
10) JC Roos (age 23 - Pumas)
9) Jaco Grobler (age 21 - Leopards)
8) no one really impressed in this position
7) Renaldo Bothma (age24 - Pumas)
6) SJ Niemand (age ??? - Leopards)
5) Schalk Oelofse (age 24 - SWD)
4) MB Lusaseni (age 24 - Leopards) - signed by Lions
3) Grant Kemp (age 24 - SWD)
2) Edgar Maratlule (age 25 - Leopards) or Frank Herne (age 23 - Pumas)
1) BG Uys (age 25 - Leopards)
Please keep in mind that 25 years of age was the cut off and there are obviously other players who would make the team if age was not a factor - RW Kember, Carl Bezuidenhout, Coenie van Wyk, Alshaun Bok etc. etc.
Looking at the above list I am pretty upset that the Kings let Frank Herne go at the end of last season. From the above list of players I have heard that BG Uys & Jaco Grobler have signed with the Kings for the 2014 season.Its a good start but I would like to see at least 3 or 4 more names joining the current squad for next year.
KINGS: WEEKEND BATTLE RESULTS - CC 1st Division Semi Finals (04/10/2013)
After starting this week with the news that the Currie cup Premier
Division will not be expanding to 8 teams to include the Pumas and the
Kings the Kings needed to end the week on a high and give their fans
something to cheer about, and so they did...
This weekend started with all of the Kings Currie Cup teams competing in Semi-final matches of the 1st Division. The Friday kicked off with the u19 team taking on Boland in Wellington and coming home with a 45 - 30 victory. This was followed by the curtain raiser for the main game, the u21 team who beat Griquas 44 -21 in the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The evening was then capped with a tightly contested match by our Senior team against the Leopards. The Kings who started the game poorly trailed at halftime 9-16. After an improved second half performance teh Kings managed to take the lead at one stage and the full time score ended level at 19-all and the game went into extra time (2 halves of 10 minutes each). Both teams scored penalties in the first half of extra time as the scores remained level at 22-all at the time of the short halftime break. In the second half of extra time the Kings started to show some composure by keeping the ball and play the game in the right areas of the field. They where rewarded with a converted try and a penalty putting them 10 points in the lead with only a few minutes to go and at that stage the game seamed to be in the bag. A late try by the Leopards however got them within striking distance to the Kings and after a few stressful minutes at the end of the game the Kings finally came out victors 32 - 29 as George Whitehead kicked the ball into touch.
All three teams have won their Semi-finals and will now go to the home of the Pumas, The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, next week to compete in their respective finals. Times of the matches are still to be confirmed but the opposition teams are already known. The u19 team will take on the Valke while the u21 team will face Boland.
The day will be ended by the main event when the two form teams of the 1st Division clash as the Kings (who ended 2nd on the log) take on the Pumas (who ended 1st on the log). During the season everyone knew that the final was always going to be a final showdown between the Pumas and the Kings. The Pumas being the more consistent of the teams won both round matches and at home are the favourites to win the match and take the title, the Kings with a youthful and inexperienced side however had an up-and-down season and showed that they are capable of producing some brilliant performances of their own. This match is going to be epic and not to be missed.
SCORERS: (please note this information was obtained from social media and could be incorrect)
U 19 - Scorer details : EP Kings vs Boland
Conversion: Selvyn Davids 6
Penalty: Alex Basil Banfield 1
Try: Alex Basil Banfield 1
Try: Juandre Fourie 1
Try: Khaya Malotana 1
Try: Selvyn Davids 1
Try: Sergeal Petersen 2
U21 scorers - EP Kings vs Griquas
Conversion: Gavin Hauptfleisch 1
Conversion: Ruan Allerston 4
Penalty: Ruan Allerston 3
Try: Siviwe Soyizwapi 1
Try: Wayven Smith x4
Senior scores - EP Kings vs Leopards
Conversions: Scott van Breda (2)
Penalties: Scott van Breda (6)
Try: Tim Agaba
Try: Kayle van Zyl
Next week has all 3 our teams competing in finals and if our teams manage to win their finals it shows that the Kings may be down, but we are not out - we have a base to start the rebuilding of the franchise and all is not lost.
This weekend started with all of the Kings Currie Cup teams competing in Semi-final matches of the 1st Division. The Friday kicked off with the u19 team taking on Boland in Wellington and coming home with a 45 - 30 victory. This was followed by the curtain raiser for the main game, the u21 team who beat Griquas 44 -21 in the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The evening was then capped with a tightly contested match by our Senior team against the Leopards. The Kings who started the game poorly trailed at halftime 9-16. After an improved second half performance teh Kings managed to take the lead at one stage and the full time score ended level at 19-all and the game went into extra time (2 halves of 10 minutes each). Both teams scored penalties in the first half of extra time as the scores remained level at 22-all at the time of the short halftime break. In the second half of extra time the Kings started to show some composure by keeping the ball and play the game in the right areas of the field. They where rewarded with a converted try and a penalty putting them 10 points in the lead with only a few minutes to go and at that stage the game seamed to be in the bag. A late try by the Leopards however got them within striking distance to the Kings and after a few stressful minutes at the end of the game the Kings finally came out victors 32 - 29 as George Whitehead kicked the ball into touch.
All three teams have won their Semi-finals and will now go to the home of the Pumas, The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, next week to compete in their respective finals. Times of the matches are still to be confirmed but the opposition teams are already known. The u19 team will take on the Valke while the u21 team will face Boland.
The day will be ended by the main event when the two form teams of the 1st Division clash as the Kings (who ended 2nd on the log) take on the Pumas (who ended 1st on the log). During the season everyone knew that the final was always going to be a final showdown between the Pumas and the Kings. The Pumas being the more consistent of the teams won both round matches and at home are the favourites to win the match and take the title, the Kings with a youthful and inexperienced side however had an up-and-down season and showed that they are capable of producing some brilliant performances of their own. This match is going to be epic and not to be missed.
SCORERS: (please note this information was obtained from social media and could be incorrect)
U 19 - Scorer details : EP Kings vs Boland
Conversion: Selvyn Davids 6
Penalty: Alex Basil Banfield 1
Try: Alex Basil Banfield 1
Try: Juandre Fourie 1
Try: Khaya Malotana 1
Try: Selvyn Davids 1
Try: Sergeal Petersen 2
U21 scorers - EP Kings vs Griquas
Conversion: Gavin Hauptfleisch 1
Conversion: Ruan Allerston 4
Penalty: Ruan Allerston 3
Try: Siviwe Soyizwapi 1
Try: Wayven Smith x4
Senior scores - EP Kings vs Leopards
Conversions: Scott van Breda (2)
Penalties: Scott van Breda (6)
Try: Tim Agaba
Try: Kayle van Zyl
Next week has all 3 our teams competing in finals and if our teams manage to win their finals it shows that the Kings may be down, but we are not out - we have a base to start the rebuilding of the franchise and all is not lost.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
KINGS - where to next?
Where to next...
PLAN A - retain super rugby status - FAILED (promo relegation matches lost)
PLAN B - obtain Currie cup status for 2014 - FAILED
(failed to qualify for promo relegation and expansion of competition not an option as franchise partners drop the ball) Earlier this week on Monday the board voted against the expansion of the premier division of the 2014 Currie cup and that the format will remain the same for next year. This leaves the Kings without a major top flight competition to attract new players and even worse keep the current batch.
This has forced the Kings to think 'outside the box' and create an alternative playing schedule hopefully including some good opposition. Cheeky revealed earlier this week that he was looking North and that there might be something on the cards that could be more than just friendlies. Automatically one would think of the new proposed competition in the North (just wondering when this comp will be scheduled and how many teams and what teams will be involved). But that just mere speculation and as nothing has yet been confirmed I will take everything mentioned with a pinch of salt.
PLAN C - who knows??? so many rumours??? so much of nothing really...
Cheeky claims he has a plan but I am not one who likes sitting around and waiting for answers... So I have decided that I would try and look into my own solution for this dilemma that the Kings currently find themselves in. The solution will have to be enough game time and opportunities not only for the Senior guys but also for the youngsters.
THE YOUNGSTERS: (academy / u19 & u21 / maybe even some u23)
I thought that I would start by concentrating on keeping the younger guys here till 2014 so we need to schedule enough games for them that would offer them experience as well as exposure. We need to make sure that they have a packed schedule of games from January through to October to offer them the opportunities to develop and showcase their skills.
Luckily there are already a few competitions that offer just that like the Varsity cup and the Vodacom cup. The Varsity cup usually starts at the beginning of February and ends middle March and the Vodacom cup starts at the beginning of March and ends in the Middle of may. For the Vodacom cup I think the Kings should only play players u23 years of age to use this tournament for development and keep the youngsters as they will hopefully make up the bulk of the squad come 2016. This means that February, March, April and May is covered leaving us with June, July, August, September & October for the youngsters.
Obviously you also have the u19 & u21 Currie cup competitions and if everything goes to plan I think the u21 team will play in the A section and the u19 team will still be in the B section. Therefor the u21 team will be playing middle July till end of October and the u19 team will be playing from middle August till middle October. Obviously some players will be drafted into the Senior team as player depth could be tested or they might just be good enough.
Now after all of that it only leaves June as a gap to fill... In 2011 the Kings participated in the Nations cup as the South African Kings and I think this tournament that includes some 2nd tier rugby nations will be an awesome opportunity for youngsters to grow as individuals though travel and also learn to come together as a squad during an extended tour (building a brotherhood as such). This tournament is usually over a 2 week period in the middle of June (not sure how this will affect the exams of the young guys in the academy?). Same as in the Vodacom cup I feel this team should be made up of players u23 years of age only and maybe even make it an u23 franchise team consisting of EP, SWD and Border youngster. Hopefully that will help our franchise partners keep their youngsters and also hopefully build a few bridges.
THE SENIORS (21 & up)
Once again it all comes down to game time, exposure and opportunity and the only way of achieving this is to have alternative competitions / games for the senior guys to compete and play in. First off I don't feel that the Varcity cup or the Vodacom cup will be an incentive for the senior players and Currie cup 1st Division might just not be enough to keep the players. However we will need to use our Senior guys in the 1st Division competition to try and gain promotion at the end of the year.
The curriecup 1st division starts at the beginning of July and ends at the end of October and with no other competitions worth mentioning it leaves the management to try and schedule games/competitions for the months of January, February, March, April, May and June. That is 6 months of matches to schedule and will be a massive task if not an impossible one for the management team. Yes it is easy to think of possibilities but to actually make them happen is a different story - just ask the Lions about their Lions Challenge... The Lions had a few cancellations of matches and some games was a let down and frankly just wasn't worth the time and the effort of actually arranging such games.
However it isn't a complete lost cause as I am sure that we will be able to schedule some warmup games with the other franchises during January. Hopefully against all 5 but I recon we will get 3 max 4 warmup games. That sorts January and the 1st week of February.
Like the Lions we might be able to schedule some warmup games against the touring International teams who will be playing against the Boks. The Lions managed to arrange such games this year and played against the Samoans. If we manage to schedule these games that should have part of June covered.
Now we are left with February, March, April & May, four months of matches need to be scheduled to keep the Senior guys going. If the scheduling of four months worth of matches aren't difficult enough the matches will have to be against 'worthy' opponents to enable the management to negotiate proper television rights for the matches and also to fill the stadium. (ticket sales will have to be good in order to assist the Kings in financing these games). Another 'snag' here is that during this period most of Europe are already busy with competitions of their own as all the Europena competitions end in May. The Japanese season however starts in September and Ends in January, so there might be an opportunity to arrange a match or two against Japanese opposition during this time period.
I have heard a few rumours already...
• the Kings might be joining the new competition being talked about up North, I have no idea when this competition will be and how it will fit into the schedule). This will obviously be first prize at the moment.
• I have also heard an option about a triangular type tournament with 2 Scottish (Celtic) teams.
• Another option I have heard was maybe a tournament involving the proposed Pacific team and the Japanese teams that might be joining the NZ and Aus conferences.
Partial solutions of my own:
• A possible option that I thought of (depending on whether the other options materialise and when they are scheduled for) is a triangular competition between Griquas, Pumas and Kings (probably consistently the best 3 teams not part of Super rugby) scheduled after the Vodacom cup (middle May). I think the Pumas and Griquas will both welcome the extra game time and possible income (will also give a good idea of the gap between the premier and 1st division and the work needed to be done to get promotion). This competition can be promoted and I am sure the broadcasters will be interested in televising these matches. Obviously match times will have to be scheduled around super rugby games & test matches to not have the times clash with the super rugby / test times in order to maximise the exposure of the players and also the broadcasting thereof. Can maybe even add a 1st Division Barbarians (best of the rest.. Eagles, Cavaliers, Bulldogs, Leopards, Valke, Griffons) team to the mix and turn it into a quadrangular series.
• Other options are to have the Southern Kings (SWD, BOR, EP) play opening games for the Boks for the International incoming tours against an SA Barbarians team, SA Varsity cup team, SA u21 etc... and maybe share in the takings from ticket sales for the tests. (this obviously something that will need to be discussed with SARU and approved by them). This type of fixture will hopefully supply some exposure for the players. Not sure if this will conflict with their Currie-cup campaign.
CONCLUSION
Keep in mind that it not just about finding a solution but also a workable one and with limited time (2 - 3 months to arrange)... the solution must be found now - This is where it gets difficult and the Kings management will need all the help they can get. I urge all the Kings Army members and Kings supporters to think of solutions (I know this is the managements responsibility, but as a Kings supporter I find it frustrating to just sit back and see everything fall apart). Let us be pro active and think of solutions/alternatives... anything really... might spark an idea with someone else (please comment and leave your ideas below) and worst case scenario the ideas will make for some interesting debate.
Keep in mind - the main focus will need to be on scheduling matches for Feb, Mar, April, May (I seriously hope that the proposed Northern hemisphere comp fall into this time frame)
KINGS ON THE RISE (might have taken a dip, but we will get there )
PLAN A - retain super rugby status - FAILED (promo relegation matches lost)
PLAN B - obtain Currie cup status for 2014 - FAILED
(failed to qualify for promo relegation and expansion of competition not an option as franchise partners drop the ball) Earlier this week on Monday the board voted against the expansion of the premier division of the 2014 Currie cup and that the format will remain the same for next year. This leaves the Kings without a major top flight competition to attract new players and even worse keep the current batch.
This has forced the Kings to think 'outside the box' and create an alternative playing schedule hopefully including some good opposition. Cheeky revealed earlier this week that he was looking North and that there might be something on the cards that could be more than just friendlies. Automatically one would think of the new proposed competition in the North (just wondering when this comp will be scheduled and how many teams and what teams will be involved). But that just mere speculation and as nothing has yet been confirmed I will take everything mentioned with a pinch of salt.
PLAN C - who knows??? so many rumours??? so much of nothing really...
Cheeky claims he has a plan but I am not one who likes sitting around and waiting for answers... So I have decided that I would try and look into my own solution for this dilemma that the Kings currently find themselves in. The solution will have to be enough game time and opportunities not only for the Senior guys but also for the youngsters.
THE YOUNGSTERS: (academy / u19 & u21 / maybe even some u23)
I thought that I would start by concentrating on keeping the younger guys here till 2014 so we need to schedule enough games for them that would offer them experience as well as exposure. We need to make sure that they have a packed schedule of games from January through to October to offer them the opportunities to develop and showcase their skills.
Luckily there are already a few competitions that offer just that like the Varsity cup and the Vodacom cup. The Varsity cup usually starts at the beginning of February and ends middle March and the Vodacom cup starts at the beginning of March and ends in the Middle of may. For the Vodacom cup I think the Kings should only play players u23 years of age to use this tournament for development and keep the youngsters as they will hopefully make up the bulk of the squad come 2016. This means that February, March, April and May is covered leaving us with June, July, August, September & October for the youngsters.
Obviously you also have the u19 & u21 Currie cup competitions and if everything goes to plan I think the u21 team will play in the A section and the u19 team will still be in the B section. Therefor the u21 team will be playing middle July till end of October and the u19 team will be playing from middle August till middle October. Obviously some players will be drafted into the Senior team as player depth could be tested or they might just be good enough.
Now after all of that it only leaves June as a gap to fill... In 2011 the Kings participated in the Nations cup as the South African Kings and I think this tournament that includes some 2nd tier rugby nations will be an awesome opportunity for youngsters to grow as individuals though travel and also learn to come together as a squad during an extended tour (building a brotherhood as such). This tournament is usually over a 2 week period in the middle of June (not sure how this will affect the exams of the young guys in the academy?). Same as in the Vodacom cup I feel this team should be made up of players u23 years of age only and maybe even make it an u23 franchise team consisting of EP, SWD and Border youngster. Hopefully that will help our franchise partners keep their youngsters and also hopefully build a few bridges.
THE SENIORS (21 & up)
Once again it all comes down to game time, exposure and opportunity and the only way of achieving this is to have alternative competitions / games for the senior guys to compete and play in. First off I don't feel that the Varcity cup or the Vodacom cup will be an incentive for the senior players and Currie cup 1st Division might just not be enough to keep the players. However we will need to use our Senior guys in the 1st Division competition to try and gain promotion at the end of the year.
The curriecup 1st division starts at the beginning of July and ends at the end of October and with no other competitions worth mentioning it leaves the management to try and schedule games/competitions for the months of January, February, March, April, May and June. That is 6 months of matches to schedule and will be a massive task if not an impossible one for the management team. Yes it is easy to think of possibilities but to actually make them happen is a different story - just ask the Lions about their Lions Challenge... The Lions had a few cancellations of matches and some games was a let down and frankly just wasn't worth the time and the effort of actually arranging such games.
However it isn't a complete lost cause as I am sure that we will be able to schedule some warmup games with the other franchises during January. Hopefully against all 5 but I recon we will get 3 max 4 warmup games. That sorts January and the 1st week of February.
Like the Lions we might be able to schedule some warmup games against the touring International teams who will be playing against the Boks. The Lions managed to arrange such games this year and played against the Samoans. If we manage to schedule these games that should have part of June covered.
Now we are left with February, March, April & May, four months of matches need to be scheduled to keep the Senior guys going. If the scheduling of four months worth of matches aren't difficult enough the matches will have to be against 'worthy' opponents to enable the management to negotiate proper television rights for the matches and also to fill the stadium. (ticket sales will have to be good in order to assist the Kings in financing these games). Another 'snag' here is that during this period most of Europe are already busy with competitions of their own as all the Europena competitions end in May. The Japanese season however starts in September and Ends in January, so there might be an opportunity to arrange a match or two against Japanese opposition during this time period.
I have heard a few rumours already...
• the Kings might be joining the new competition being talked about up North, I have no idea when this competition will be and how it will fit into the schedule). This will obviously be first prize at the moment.
• I have also heard an option about a triangular type tournament with 2 Scottish (Celtic) teams.
• Another option I have heard was maybe a tournament involving the proposed Pacific team and the Japanese teams that might be joining the NZ and Aus conferences.
Partial solutions of my own:
• A possible option that I thought of (depending on whether the other options materialise and when they are scheduled for) is a triangular competition between Griquas, Pumas and Kings (probably consistently the best 3 teams not part of Super rugby) scheduled after the Vodacom cup (middle May). I think the Pumas and Griquas will both welcome the extra game time and possible income (will also give a good idea of the gap between the premier and 1st division and the work needed to be done to get promotion). This competition can be promoted and I am sure the broadcasters will be interested in televising these matches. Obviously match times will have to be scheduled around super rugby games & test matches to not have the times clash with the super rugby / test times in order to maximise the exposure of the players and also the broadcasting thereof. Can maybe even add a 1st Division Barbarians (best of the rest.. Eagles, Cavaliers, Bulldogs, Leopards, Valke, Griffons) team to the mix and turn it into a quadrangular series.
• Other options are to have the Southern Kings (SWD, BOR, EP) play opening games for the Boks for the International incoming tours against an SA Barbarians team, SA Varsity cup team, SA u21 etc... and maybe share in the takings from ticket sales for the tests. (this obviously something that will need to be discussed with SARU and approved by them). This type of fixture will hopefully supply some exposure for the players. Not sure if this will conflict with their Currie-cup campaign.
CONCLUSION
Keep in mind that it not just about finding a solution but also a workable one and with limited time (2 - 3 months to arrange)... the solution must be found now - This is where it gets difficult and the Kings management will need all the help they can get. I urge all the Kings Army members and Kings supporters to think of solutions (I know this is the managements responsibility, but as a Kings supporter I find it frustrating to just sit back and see everything fall apart). Let us be pro active and think of solutions/alternatives... anything really... might spark an idea with someone else (please comment and leave your ideas below) and worst case scenario the ideas will make for some interesting debate.
Keep in mind - the main focus will need to be on scheduling matches for Feb, Mar, April, May (I seriously hope that the proposed Northern hemisphere comp fall into this time frame)
KINGS ON THE RISE (might have taken a dip, but we will get there )
Saturday, 28 September 2013
KINGS: WEEKEND BATTLE RESULTS
This past weekend the EP Kings were involved in 3 important matches as the senior side took on Border (franchise partners) in their final league match and the 2 junior sides (u19 & u21) were also involved in matches to determine their log position.
THE SENIOR SIDE:
The senior team had to not just overcome their rivals (Border) but also the bad weather conditions as the strong winds played a factor during the match. The Kings however coming from the windy city were able to come out as the victors as they beat the Bulldogs 38 points to 20 in East London.
After the other results of the weekend the final log is as follow:
Pos Team P Pts
1 Pumas.....................14..
2 EP Kings..................14.....
3 Leopards..................14..
4 SWD Eagles.............14.........
5 Boland Kavaliers......14............3
6 Griffons ...................14.........
7 Border Bulldogs.......14............2
8 Falcons.....................14
This means that the four teams qualifying for the semi finals are Pumas, Kings, Leopards & Eagles with position 1 (pumas) taking on position 4 (Eagles) in Nelspruit and poition 2 (kings) taking on position 3 (Leopards) in Port Elizabeth. With rumours of the Curriecup expanding it seems as if the Kings and the Pumas will be the two teams promoted to the expanded (8team) competition next year.
Preliminary Semi final fixtures (Div1) - Friday, 04 October 2013
14:00 - Pumas vs SWD Eagles , Nelspruit
16:30 - EP Kings vs Leopards , Port Elizabeth
THE u21 TEAM:
The u21 team managed to beat the 3rd placed Limpopo Blue Bulls away from home with a score of 33 -37.
Current Log:
Pos Team P Pts
1 EP Kings....................7......35
2 Boland........................7.....30
3 Limpopo Blue Bulls...7......28
4 Griquas.......................7......17
5 Griffons.......................7.....15
6 Valke...........................7.....13
7 Pumas..........................7.....11
8 SWD...........................7.....3
THE u19 TEAM:
The u19 team managed to beat the struggling Limpopo Blue Bulls away from home with a score of 17-26.
Current Log:
Pos Team P Pts
1 Valke..........................7......34
2 Boland........................7.....25
3 EP Kings....................7......23
4 SWD...........................7......20
5 Griquas........................7.....17
6 Griffons........................7.....17
7 Limpopo Blue Bulls....7.....14
8 Pumas...........................7.....1
This was a good weekend for the EP Kings as they continue on their quest to return top rugby to the province as they managed to get 3 out of 3 this weekend.
THE SENIOR SIDE:
The senior team had to not just overcome their rivals (Border) but also the bad weather conditions as the strong winds played a factor during the match. The Kings however coming from the windy city were able to come out as the victors as they beat the Bulldogs 38 points to 20 in East London.
After the other results of the weekend the final log is as follow:
Pos Team P Pts
1 Pumas.....................14..
2 EP Kings..................14.....
3 Leopards..................14..
4 SWD Eagles.............14.........
5 Boland Kavaliers......14............3
6 Griffons ...................14.........
7 Border Bulldogs.......14............2
8 Falcons.....................14
This means that the four teams qualifying for the semi finals are Pumas, Kings, Leopards & Eagles with position 1 (pumas) taking on position 4 (Eagles) in Nelspruit and poition 2 (kings) taking on position 3 (Leopards) in Port Elizabeth. With rumours of the Curriecup expanding it seems as if the Kings and the Pumas will be the two teams promoted to the expanded (8team) competition next year.
Preliminary Semi final fixtures (Div1) - Friday, 04 October 2013
14:00 - Pumas vs SWD Eagles , Nelspruit
16:30 - EP Kings vs Leopards , Port Elizabeth
THE u21 TEAM:
The u21 team managed to beat the 3rd placed Limpopo Blue Bulls away from home with a score of 33 -37.
Current Log:
Pos Team P Pts
1 EP Kings....................7......35
2 Boland........................7.....30
3 Limpopo Blue Bulls...7......28
4 Griquas.......................7......17
5 Griffons.......................7.....15
6 Valke...........................7.....13
7 Pumas..........................7.....11
8 SWD...........................7.....3
THE u19 TEAM:
The u19 team managed to beat the struggling Limpopo Blue Bulls away from home with a score of 17-26.
Current Log:
Pos Team P Pts
1 Valke..........................7......34
2 Boland........................7.....25
3 EP Kings....................7......23
4 SWD...........................7......20
5 Griquas........................7.....17
6 Griffons........................7.....17
7 Limpopo Blue Bulls....7.....14
8 Pumas...........................7.....1
This was a good weekend for the EP Kings as they continue on their quest to return top rugby to the province as they managed to get 3 out of 3 this weekend.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
THE ROYAL GENE POOL - IS IT DEEP ENOUGH
Is the Southern Kings region capable of producing enough quality players in the future to sustain the franchise?
Having a look at all the players from the Southern Kings region playing rugby all over the country & abroad one starts to realise the amount of talent coming from the region. I have compiled a list of all the players currently playing for other unions who went to school in the SWD, EP & Border regions. Note that the list was compiled from limited information gathered from Wikipedia and could be slightly inaccurate but accurate enough to give a reasonably good idea. Due to the limited information obtainable from Wikipedia not all players from the smaller unions have biographies and therefor I could not determine where they went to school.
Let us start looking at the players playing Curriecup for one of the major (premier division) sides & players involved in the Vodacom cup for these teams.
BULLS(6):
Bandise Maku, David Bulbring, JJ Engelbrecht, Bjorn Basson, Akona Ndungane, Grant Hattingh,
Dont know if I can claim Serfontein as he left at 16.
CHEETAHS(3):
Phillip van der Waldt, Caylib Oosthuizen, Davon Raubenheimer
GRIQUAS(10):
Dalton Davis, Rocco Jansen, Gouws Prinsloo, Brummer Badenhorst, Simon Westraadt, Ligtoring Landman, Jaco Nepgen, Enrico Acker, Durandt Gerber, Nico Scheepers
LIONS(3): Stephan Greeff, Lionel Mapoe, Lionel Cronje
SHARKS(10):
Rayno Gerber, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, Keagan Daniel, Tim Whitehead, Marco Wentsel, Tera Mtembu, Sibusiso Sithole, Jaco van Tonder, Allan Dell
STORMERS(3):
Ross Geldenhuys, Siya Kolisi, Scarra Ntubeni
A total of 35 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing for one of the top 6 (Curriecup) unions, either for their senior sides or the Vodacom cup teams.
Players playing for sides in the 1st division not part of the franchise catchment area:
CAVALIERS(1):
Ntando Kebe
FALCONS(2): Jongi Nokwe, Vincent Gwavu
GRIFFONS(2):
Ashwin Scott, Norman Nelson
LEOPARDS(2): Jaco Grobler, MB Lusaseni
PUMAS(9): De-Jay Terblanche, Rudi Mathee, Lubabalo Mtyanda, Boela Serfontein, RW Kember, Doppies le Roux, Carl Bezuidenhout, Wilhelm Loock, Rosco Speckman
A total of 16 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing Curriecup for one of the 1st Division teams. This list could be longer but due to the limited amount of player profiles available on Wikipedia I could not determine where many of the players were schooled.
Players playing abroad:
Zane Kirchner, Dewaldt Potgieter, Jacques Potgieter, Jano Vermaak, Rory Kockott, Johan Muller, Wesley Dunlop, Ryan Konkovski... to just name a few. For this article not really interested in listing all the players from the Southern Kings region playing abroad.
Players playing for the 7's National team. (players used in 2012/2013 season)
Cecil Africa, Steven Hunt
Coaches from the Eastern Cape region either coaching or involved in rugby in some other way.
Nick Mallet, Alistair Coetzee, Rassie Erasmus, Andy Solomons, Pote Human, Ricardo Loubscher
(Some serious combined brain power & coaching experience in this lot)
This blog was not written to take a shot at the Southern Kings for not developing these players (not that they could do so in the past without an academy or with top class rugby as an incentive) or at the other unions for poaching the players (seeing that it is a professional era). This blog was merely written to establish whether or not the Southern Kings region are capable of producing players in the future to sustain the franchise.
If you consider the amount of players already playing in the region who were schooled there and the amount of players playing for other unions the Southern Kings region surely have the potential to produce enough quality players to sustain a franchise as long as they are capable of retaining the players, especially with the establishment of a decent academy and junior structure.
As a previous blog of mine (http://brandewijnvancoke.blogspot.com/2013/09/academy-scouting.html) have pointed out the Kings Academy have had a reasonably successful year regarding recruiting youngsters for the academy and if they continue with the good work at junior levels they should be ready come 2016.
Having a look at all the players from the Southern Kings region playing rugby all over the country & abroad one starts to realise the amount of talent coming from the region. I have compiled a list of all the players currently playing for other unions who went to school in the SWD, EP & Border regions. Note that the list was compiled from limited information gathered from Wikipedia and could be slightly inaccurate but accurate enough to give a reasonably good idea. Due to the limited information obtainable from Wikipedia not all players from the smaller unions have biographies and therefor I could not determine where they went to school.
Let us start looking at the players playing Curriecup for one of the major (premier division) sides & players involved in the Vodacom cup for these teams.
BULLS(6):
Bandise Maku, David Bulbring, JJ Engelbrecht, Bjorn Basson, Akona Ndungane, Grant Hattingh,
Dont know if I can claim Serfontein as he left at 16.
CHEETAHS(3):
Phillip van der Waldt, Caylib Oosthuizen, Davon Raubenheimer
GRIQUAS(10):
Dalton Davis, Rocco Jansen, Gouws Prinsloo, Brummer Badenhorst, Simon Westraadt, Ligtoring Landman, Jaco Nepgen, Enrico Acker, Durandt Gerber, Nico Scheepers
LIONS(3): Stephan Greeff, Lionel Mapoe, Lionel Cronje
SHARKS(10):
Rayno Gerber, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, Keagan Daniel, Tim Whitehead, Marco Wentsel, Tera Mtembu, Sibusiso Sithole, Jaco van Tonder, Allan Dell
STORMERS(3):
Ross Geldenhuys, Siya Kolisi, Scarra Ntubeni
A total of 35 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing for one of the top 6 (Curriecup) unions, either for their senior sides or the Vodacom cup teams.
Players playing for sides in the 1st division not part of the franchise catchment area:
CAVALIERS(1):
Ntando Kebe
FALCONS(2): Jongi Nokwe, Vincent Gwavu
GRIFFONS(2):
Ashwin Scott, Norman Nelson
LEOPARDS(2): Jaco Grobler, MB Lusaseni
PUMAS(9): De-Jay Terblanche, Rudi Mathee, Lubabalo Mtyanda, Boela Serfontein, RW Kember, Doppies le Roux, Carl Bezuidenhout, Wilhelm Loock, Rosco Speckman
A total of 16 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing Curriecup for one of the 1st Division teams. This list could be longer but due to the limited amount of player profiles available on Wikipedia I could not determine where many of the players were schooled.
Players playing abroad:
Zane Kirchner, Dewaldt Potgieter, Jacques Potgieter, Jano Vermaak, Rory Kockott, Johan Muller, Wesley Dunlop, Ryan Konkovski... to just name a few. For this article not really interested in listing all the players from the Southern Kings region playing abroad.
Players playing for the 7's National team. (players used in 2012/2013 season)
Cecil Africa, Steven Hunt
Coaches from the Eastern Cape region either coaching or involved in rugby in some other way.
Nick Mallet, Alistair Coetzee, Rassie Erasmus, Andy Solomons, Pote Human, Ricardo Loubscher
(Some serious combined brain power & coaching experience in this lot)
This blog was not written to take a shot at the Southern Kings for not developing these players (not that they could do so in the past without an academy or with top class rugby as an incentive) or at the other unions for poaching the players (seeing that it is a professional era). This blog was merely written to establish whether or not the Southern Kings region are capable of producing players in the future to sustain the franchise.
If you consider the amount of players already playing in the region who were schooled there and the amount of players playing for other unions the Southern Kings region surely have the potential to produce enough quality players to sustain a franchise as long as they are capable of retaining the players, especially with the establishment of a decent academy and junior structure.
As a previous blog of mine (http://brandewijnvancoke.blogspot.com/2013/09/academy-scouting.html) have pointed out the Kings Academy have had a reasonably successful year regarding recruiting youngsters for the academy and if they continue with the good work at junior levels they should be ready come 2016.
Sunday, 8 September 2013
ACADEMY SCOUTING
After watching the Craven week this year a few players stood out as players I would like to be retained by the academy. I only had the Craven Week to monitor the players and I am sure the Academy scouts have been closely monitoring the players for a while now and will probably have a better idea as far as the quality of the players are concerned. And as consistency is a major factor to consider I am sure they will differ in some selections as they have better knowledge regarding the players. Here is a list of the XV players I would like to sign that represented the Kings franchise (SWD, Border & EP) region. I have set it out as a starting XV as I heard somewhere that the Kings Academy look to sign 1 player in each position every year.
(some positions have more than one player as more than one player impressed - I put them in order of preference)
15)Malcolm Jaer (EP)
14)Duhan van der Merwe (SWD)
13)Somilha Jho (BOR)
12)Warrick Gallant (SWD) / Peet Schoeman(EPCD)
11) Lilitha Jonas (BOR)
10) Lungela Gosa (BOR) / Dewaldt Human (SWD) / Jason Vers (EPCD)
9) Remu Malan (SWD) / Jason Baggot (EPCD)
8) Martin Groenewald (EP) / Dian Koen (SWD)
7) Jedwyn Hardy (BOR) / Justin Hollis (BOR)
6) CJ Velleman (EP) / Stuart Stopforth (EPCD|)
5) Tyler Paul (EP)
4) Sintu Manjezi (EPCD) / Elandre vd Merwe (EP)
3) Thabani Mtsi (BOR) / Ronnie Beyl (EPCD)
2) no hooker as none of them really impressed (difficult to judge a hooker at school level)
1) NJ Oosthuizen (EPCD) / Stefan Grundlingh (SWD)
Of this list I think Martin Groenewald has signed with the Bulls as they put up his medical bill when he had a horrific break of his leg.
Of these the players that I have heard rumours about joining the academy are
Malcolm Jaer, Juson Vers, Justin Hollis, CJ Velleman, Tyler Paul, Sintu Manjezi, Jason Reynecke
Other players I heard rumours about joining are
David Murray (17), Them Yase, and found confirmation that Selvyn Davids (outside centre) who impressed during the 2012 Cravenweek (was not eligible for 2013) will also be joining.
If all of the rumours are to be believed a Kings Academy team could look something like this:
(players corresponding with my selection are in bold)
15) Malcolm Jaer
14)
13) Selvyn Davids (rated him highly in the previous craven week so he is also in bold)
12)
11)
10) Jason Vers
9)
8)
7) Justin Hollis
6) CJ Velleman
5) Tyler Paul
4) Sintu Manjezi
3) David Murray (from cambridge high school in border region)
2) Jason Reynecke
1) Them Yase
Players I would really like to see join this group are Duhan van der Merwe, Warrick Gallant & Dian Koen as these 3 players (all from SWD) were really impressive.
Still some gaps to fill but at this stage the team is looking promising and so far I am pretty pleased with the scouting done by the Kings this year, lets hope the gaps that will be filled will correspond with my selection. If this is the case the Kings are truly on the rise.
(some positions have more than one player as more than one player impressed - I put them in order of preference)
15)Malcolm Jaer (EP)
14)Duhan van der Merwe (SWD)
13)Somilha Jho (BOR)
12)Warrick Gallant (SWD) / Peet Schoeman(EPCD)
11) Lilitha Jonas (BOR)
10) Lungela Gosa (BOR) / Dewaldt Human (SWD) / Jason Vers (EPCD)
9) Remu Malan (SWD) / Jason Baggot (EPCD)
8) Martin Groenewald (EP) / Dian Koen (SWD)
7) Jedwyn Hardy (BOR) / Justin Hollis (BOR)
6) CJ Velleman (EP) / Stuart Stopforth (EPCD|)
5) Tyler Paul (EP)
4) Sintu Manjezi (EPCD) / Elandre vd Merwe (EP)
3) Thabani Mtsi (BOR) / Ronnie Beyl (EPCD)
2) no hooker as none of them really impressed (difficult to judge a hooker at school level)
1) NJ Oosthuizen (EPCD) / Stefan Grundlingh (SWD)
Of this list I think Martin Groenewald has signed with the Bulls as they put up his medical bill when he had a horrific break of his leg.
Of these the players that I have heard rumours about joining the academy are
Malcolm Jaer, Juson Vers, Justin Hollis, CJ Velleman, Tyler Paul, Sintu Manjezi, Jason Reynecke
Other players I heard rumours about joining are
David Murray (17), Them Yase, and found confirmation that Selvyn Davids (outside centre) who impressed during the 2012 Cravenweek (was not eligible for 2013) will also be joining.
If all of the rumours are to be believed a Kings Academy team could look something like this:
(players corresponding with my selection are in bold)
15) Malcolm Jaer
14)
13) Selvyn Davids (rated him highly in the previous craven week so he is also in bold)
12)
11)
10) Jason Vers
9)
8)
7) Justin Hollis
6) CJ Velleman
5) Tyler Paul
4) Sintu Manjezi
3) David Murray (from cambridge high school in border region)
2) Jason Reynecke
1) Them Yase
Players I would really like to see join this group are Duhan van der Merwe, Warrick Gallant & Dian Koen as these 3 players (all from SWD) were really impressive.
Still some gaps to fill but at this stage the team is looking promising and so far I am pretty pleased with the scouting done by the Kings this year, lets hope the gaps that will be filled will correspond with my selection. If this is the case the Kings are truly on the rise.
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