Cautious Isuzu Southern Kings chairman Loyiso Dotwana has warned fans he is not promising “instant gratification” and that his franchise does not have the resources to buy five or 10 Springbok marquee players.
But Dotwana has raised expectations by saying the Kings are planning to improve and win at least 50 per cent of their Guinness PRO14 matches next season.
So far the Kings have won only two of their 18 matches this season, but will fancy their chances of picking up a third victory when they host fellow strugglers the Dragons at the Madibaz Stadium on Sunday.
“We don’t have the financial resources of other franchises to buy five or 10 marquee or Bok players to play for the Kings,” Dotwana told Rugby365.com.
“If you are looking for instant gratification I am sorry to disappoint you. It is not going to happen.
“ I can tell you we are on a drive to lay the foundations for future success. All our plans are for next season and beyond.
“We are not here, and I am sorry to disappoint some of you, for a quick fix solution. We are here to build a team for the long term.
“This will not happen overnight and it will require lots of change. Change is not something thing to be afraid of. The reality is you become what you believe.
“The people of the Eastern Cape have been starved of a successful franchise. We want to win more matches than we lose, and we want to target at least 50 per cent of our matches next season.
“That is quite an ambitious target we have set and the recruitment we are looking at will talk to that ambition of winning 50 per cent of matches.
“We want to create a unit mixture of youth and experience and blend that. When the team settle down and get more confident, I think we will surprise the public with the kind of rugby we play and the results.”
“We have not done well on the field, and we are currently addressing that. There will be a massive recruitment of new players for the next season. The appointment of Robbi Kempson as high performance director is part of that intervention to improve the Kings on the field of play.
“It is not just a matter of luring top players who play in Europe and Japan and at other franchises to come here to the Eastern Cape. We want players to share our vision. We have incredible talent here in the Eastern Cape right now.
“Quite a lot of talent has migrated to other places like Europe and Japan and other South African franchises. The first thing we want to do is retain all the talent we have here.
“We want to bring back all the great players from this region. That needs proper organisation that is well resourced financially and that has a good coaching structure and management team will bring the best out of these players.
“The Kings will place big emphasis of the identification and selection and recruitment of young talent in the Eastern Cape.
“After Sunday’s match against the Dragons, The Kings face the Ospreys in Port Elizabeth on April 12 before ending with an away match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on April 27.
No quick fix for ailing Kings
Chairman Loyiso Dotwana talks about long-term PRO14 plans
Image: Supplied
Cautious Isuzu Southern Kings chairman Loyiso Dotwana has warned fans he is not promising “instant gratification” and that his franchise does not have the resources to buy five or 10 Springbok marquee players.
But Dotwana has raised expectations by saying the Kings are planning to improve and win at least 50 per cent of their Guinness PRO14 matches next season.
So far the Kings have won only two of their 18 matches this season, but will fancy their chances of picking up a third victory when they host fellow strugglers the Dragons at the Madibaz Stadium on Sunday.
“We don’t have the financial resources of other franchises to buy five or 10 marquee or Bok players to play for the Kings,” Dotwana told Rugby365.com.
“If you are looking for instant gratification I am sorry to disappoint you. It is not going to happen.
“ I can tell you we are on a drive to lay the foundations for future success. All our plans are for next season and beyond.
“We are not here, and I am sorry to disappoint some of you, for a quick fix solution. We are here to build a team for the long term.
“This will not happen overnight and it will require lots of change. Change is not something thing to be afraid of. The reality is you become what you believe.
“The people of the Eastern Cape have been starved of a successful franchise. We want to win more matches than we lose, and we want to target at least 50 per cent of our matches next season.
“That is quite an ambitious target we have set and the recruitment we are looking at will talk to that ambition of winning 50 per cent of matches.
“We want to create a unit mixture of youth and experience and blend that. When the team settle down and get more confident, I think we will surprise the public with the kind of rugby we play and the results.”
“We have not done well on the field, and we are currently addressing that. There will be a massive recruitment of new players for the next season. The appointment of Robbi Kempson as high performance director is part of that intervention to improve the Kings on the field of play.
“It is not just a matter of luring top players who play in Europe and Japan and at other franchises to come here to the Eastern Cape. We want players to share our vision. We have incredible talent here in the Eastern Cape right now.
“Quite a lot of talent has migrated to other places like Europe and Japan and other South African franchises. The first thing we want to do is retain all the talent we have here.
“We want to bring back all the great players from this region. That needs proper organisation that is well resourced financially and that has a good coaching structure and management team will bring the best out of these players.
“The Kings will place big emphasis of the identification and selection and recruitment of young talent in the Eastern Cape.
“After Sunday’s match against the Dragons, The Kings face the Ospreys in Port Elizabeth on April 12 before ending with an away match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on April 27.
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