The Southern Spears have applied to the high court to force SA Rugby to include the newly formed franchise in both this year’s Currie Cup and next year’s Super 14 competitions.
They have literally thrown the ball into the SA Rugby court to show why the resolution adopted by the president’s council of the South African Rugby Union on June 8 last year should no longer be binding on all the parties.
That resolution guaranteed the Spears’ participation in the Super 14 for 2007 and 2008, as well as this year’s Currie Cup.
The Spears are also demanding financial support from SA Rugby until the end of 2006, ”to the extent reasonably necessary for the effective conduct and development of its activities” — as per the agreement reached last year.
In April this year, SA Rugby completed an inspection into the readiness of the Spears to participate in the two competitions and concluded that the franchise still had some way to go. The governing body said they had put in place measures to help the Spears and the region reach ”acceptable levels of readiness”.
”We realise that it is a difficult and sensitive issue,” board chairperson Mpumelelo Tshume had said. ”The decision of the board will be an unpopular one in some sectors of the community, but we believe halting the Spears’ participation in the Super 14 for now is the right thing to do. Posterity will judge us harshly if we consider quick fixes.”
Tshume said the board was satisfied that it had applied its mind properly to the facts around the Spears issue and could withstand any court challenges.
”The board of SA Rugby has employed a thorough process in its quest to find a sustainable solution to the challenges facing rugby in the Eastern and Southern Cape, generally, and the Southern Spears, in particular,” he said.
Included in the application to the high court is a demand by the Spears that SA Rugby continue payment of the salaries of players, management, and officials in terms of the June 8 document. — Sapa