Cheeky's R100m letter
A HIGHLY confidential letter written by EP Rugby president Cheeky Watson in 2012 in which he asks Saru for R100-million if the Kings waived their right to entry into Super Rugby in 2013 has been leaked by the EP Rugby Transformation Movement.
The letter was made public by Eldridge "Chico" Februarie, who was recently banned for two years from EP Rugby structures after being found guilty of disseminating a previous e-mail that brought EP Rugby into disrepute.
Februarie is a member of the EP Rugby Transformation Movement which has put candidates up to stand at Saturday's EPRU annual meeting.
In the confidential letter to Saru chief executive Jurie Roux, dated June 26 2012, Watson writes: "The Kings would consider waiving their rights for entry into Super Rugby in 2013 on the following conditions:
"1. The Kings are guaranteed Super Rugby entry in 2014, signed with an irrevocable contract ad infinitum;
"2. Saru will pay the sum of R100-million upon acceptance. Payment will be made in three equal instalments, three months apart.
"3. EP will participate in the [Absa Currie Cup] Premier Division and the U19 and U21 teams in the applicable A Divisions from 2013.
"4. Saru will allocate Castle Rugby Championship matches to be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium: 2013 Australia, 2014 New Zealand, 2015 Australia, 2016 New Zealand."
Februarie said: "As you know I have been suspended and have appealed against the finding. [A] letter that I did not write nor disseminate was the reason for the suspension.
"I have found it hard to believe that the letter [could] make people so angry unless they [had] something to hide or to make me shut up. Therefore I did some investigation of my own.
"Cheeky pleaded for support of this franchise for our region. If he felt that [strongly] about a Super Rugby franchise for black individuals in 2009, what made him to do an about-turn in 2012?
"He is willing to sell our right to participate in this global and international event to Saru for R100-million."
Watson said the letter was a snapshot of an extremely complex negotiation at the time.
"SA Rugby were determining the structure of the Super Rugby competition in 2013, and were faced with making six franchises fit into five spots, with pressure to exclude the Southern Kings," Watson said.
"This letter was part of a bargaining strategy to put pressure on SA Rugby that, should the Kings have been excluded, would see the union receive a R100-million cash injection.
"The final outcome was extremely beneficial to the union, with the Southern Kings playing in Super Rugby in 2013, and while we may have lost the promotion/relegation match against the Lions, we had the third- best home crowd attendance overall.
"We also [had] the most successful debut [in] the competition and so impressed Sanzar that the Kings have been guaranteed inclusion from 2016," Watson said.
A Saru spokesman said: "We can confirm that no such agreement was ever entertained."
