High-ranking rugby administrators in South Africa fear that rugby boss Brian van Rooyen, with the backing of Louis Luyt, is planning to dissolve SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd in a bold attempt to increase his own powers, the Weekend Witness reported on Saturday.
According to the report, Van Rooyen, the recently-elected president of the SA Rugby Football Union, is playing for time in delaying a special board meeting called by four directors of SA Rugby.
Morne du Plessis, the respected former Springbok captain, and three other directors of the board called for the urgent meeting on Thursday. SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd run the professional and commercial side of Springbok rugby.
The powers of the Sarfu president had been limited after Luyt’s controversial tenure and Van Rooyen was determined to entrench his authority, the newspaper reported. Van Rooyen said on Thursday that he was ”disappointed that they have taken that route (calling a special meeting) and it is a clear vote of no confidence in me.”
Van Rooyen said he was also ”disappointed that they (the four directors) did not pick up the phone and call me first.”
The Witness added that Van Rooyen was indeed telephoned and faxed by Du Plessis as early as Monday and told that the four directors — the other three are Koos Basson, Dolf van Huyssteen and Theunie Lategan — would be seeking a special meeting.
”They (the four directors) wanted Van Rooyen to be able to save face by calling the meeting himself instead of having it forced on him, but he would not and they had to go ahead with the process,” the Witness quoted the source.
Both Du Plessis and Keith Parkinson, Sarfu’s deputy president, have confirmed that the meeting will take place early next year.
While Du Plessis refused to divulge details of the special meeting, it is understood that the agenda will cover the following issues:
the election of a chairman of SA Rugby;
to declare invalid the resolutions of the December 10 meeting as there was no chairman;
to review the process for the election of the new Springbok coach and to possibly broaden the shortlist.
The Witness revealed that Van Rooyen, Luyt and Andre Markgraaff had been involved in a number of behind-the-scenes meetings.
”There are real fears that Van Rooyen will delay SA Rugby’s special meeting until after the Sarfu executive meeting on January 16.
”There is the feeling among a number of leading South African administrators that at the executive meeting Van Rooyen will seek the 51% majority he needs from Sarfu to dissolve SA Rugby.”
”We believe that Van Rooyen wants to set up a new committee to run the professional side of South African rugby. There are major issues at stake here with the renewal of the $555-million television contract for southern hemisphere rugby (Sanzar) at the very top,” said the source.
Van Rooyen was elected unopposed as the new president a fortnight ago as the incumbent Silas Nkanunu, Bok coach Rudolf Straeuli and SA Rugby managing director Rian Oberholzer were swept aside.
Van Rooyen promised strong leadership and then produced a shortlist for the coaching post after the first board meeting without havig first spoken to the candidates. There was some unhappiness — even at board level — that Nick Mallett was not on the shortlist. Markgraaff has since withdrawn, leaving the relatively inexperienced trio of Chester Williams, Heyneke Meyer and Dumisani Mhani in contention. – Sapa