There will be no meddling in how Isuzu Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids runs his team despite the franchise now being controlled by a consortium of new owners.
This assurance was given by consortium chair Loyiso Dotwana, who said Davids and Kings staff would also be given a free hand regarding player recruitment.
“We will leave the running of the team mechanics to the rugby experts.
“Matters like the recruitment of players will also be left to the coaching staff to manage,” he said.
Although he would not reveal how much their stake in the club would be, the consortium will have the final say in how the affairs of the franchise are run.Insiders say the group will own 76% of the franchise, and the EP Rugby Union 24%.
The other members of the consortium are businessmen Gary Markson, Rory Stear and Kenny Govender and businesswoman Vuyo Zitumane.
“While none of us has worked in rugby before, we all have track records of running successful businesses and this is exactly what the Kings need,” Dotwana said.
“It needs businesspeople running a franchise in line with key corporate governance principles. We will focus on building a sustainable and successful business.
“We are not rugby people, we are businesspeople. What we will do is set mandates with regard to budgets. We want to run a sustainable business.
“The team have a number of injuries and chief operating officer Charl Crous and the coach, Deon Davids, are working hard in recruiting new players to join the Kings. This sponsorship will help in that regard.”
It is not only in the playing ranks that the Kings are thin on the ground.
A new right-hand man to assist Davids is urgently required after forwards coach Barend Pieterse left the franchise to link up with the Canon Eagles in Japan.
Pieterse was a vital link in the Kings chain and took over as head coach for a match when Davids was unable to travel to Europe last season.
Analyst Sean O’Dea has also left the franchise, and he is another key member of the backroom staff who will need to be replaced.
The Kings could win only one of their 21 matches last season, and a big step up will be required for the team to be competitive.
While many of the PRO14 teams have an extensive coaching staff, the Kings relied on Davids, Pieterse (forwards) and Chumani Booi (backline) to prepare the team.
Booi arrived at the Kings to replace Vuyo Zangqa, who took up a coaching position in Germany before the PRO14 kicked off.
The Kings, who kick off their PRO14 campaign against Italian outfit Zebre in Parma on September 1, have not played a warm-up yet because of injury concerns.
Fears of injuries to their depleted squad forced the Kings to cancel a proposed contact session against the Border Bulldogs last week.
The Kings had been hoping to prepare for their opening PRO14 match with a tough workout against the Currie Cup First Division outfit.
Prior to the sponsorship announcement, player recruitment at the Kings stalled.