The fate of the Southern Spears is expected to be decided at a president’s council meeting of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) in Cape Town on Wednesday.
At its meeting last Friday, the council poured cold water over the Spears’ chance of playing in the Super 14 competition next year. It recommended that none of the existing South African Super 14 teams should be relegated from next year’s tournament and that the decision to include the Southern Spears in the tournament be rescinded.
After the meeting, SA Rugby MD Johan Prinsloo said, however, that it had been decided that there should be ”no relegation or promotion of existing franchises at the end of the season”.
The move has been slammed by Butana Khompela, chairperson of the African National Congress study group on sports and recreation, who said that Saru vice-president Mike Stofile, once an ardent proponent of the Spears’ participation, had withdrawn his support for the Eastern Cape team.
”He has cited troubles plaguing EP [Eastern Province] and Border rugby over the past few months as major reasons for his about-turn,” said Khompela.
”The ANC and the portfolio committee on sport and recreation condemn the approach taken by Saru in dealing with the matter of the Super 14 competition for 2006/07.
”The unilateral decisions taken by the president’s council to abandon the agreed relegation system are an about-turn on agreements reached between Saru, government and the portfolio committee during 2005 on the participation of the Southern Spears in the Super 14 from 2007.”
He added that Saru needs to explain the reasons for its unilateral decisions and provide a comprehensive report on the state of readiness of the Southern Spears to participate in the Super 14 competition.
”The report must include an evaluation on the implementation of the original agreements with the government in 2005 and the reasons, if any, for its non-implementation.
”No political argument can be made as to why the south-east Cape should not be awarded an opportunity to participate in the Super 14 competition,” said Khompela. — Sapa