Skangele Mateza
shares some of his views on the Eastern Province Kings:
Let’s
face facts, whatever team the EP Kings decides to field in Super Rugby next
year they will get beaten more often than not. Sometimes it will be very badly.
With only one year guaranteed to them they seem to be going the route of
recruiting well established players passed their peak. What was the mandate of the
franchise when they were assured Super Rugby participation initially? Was it
not to strengthen development rugby within a stronghold of black talent in this
country?
Make
no mistake its politics that has given the kings this opportunity to begin
with. I would rather spend my money to watch Siyanda Grey, Wes Dunlop, Banda
Coyi, Ntando Kebe, Roy Bursey and the like, than support a team of Steven
Sykes, Andries Strauss and whomever else they are interested in.
The
Kings have become a retirement village of sorts for European players who were
in wilderness and seemingly this is going to continue. Of course some good buys
have been made, some talent retained but on the whole the Kings have failed or
are failing their initial mandate in my opinion. With one year of Super Rugby
to play, I would have played a mainly young homegrown team, playing talented
youngsters who are IN the Eastern Cape province not people who claim roots to
it. Either way we will get beat, but it will have political leverage in an
attempt to make further gains in rugby development.
Skangele is an Eastern
Cape local and rugby god in the eyes of his younger brother,
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