#SARU Special General Council meeting postponed

Jan 28 • General News, South Africa • 2170 Views • Comments Off on #SARU Special General Council meeting postponed

Eastern Province Rugby have confirmed that the SARU Special General Council meeting, which was to be held in Cape Town on Friday to discuss the inclusion of the EP Kings in an expanded ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, has been postponed.

EPRU President, Cheeky Watson, said he had been informed today that the meeting had been postponed to the 13th of February.

“Obviously we are disappointed that there has been another postponement, but we remain upbeat that, when the time does come, a positive rugby decision will be made, that will be guided by the need to bring stability to South African Rugby,” he said.

The proposal for an expanded eight team Premier Division Currie Cup was submitted at the end of the Super Rugby season last year, and was initially presented to the unions at a Special General Meeting held on the 19th of September, but the announcement was delayed till the 30th for further consideration.

While the final vote was in favour of the amended structure of the competition, with a 19 / 10 split, the motion didn’t carry because it required a 75% majority vote. Subsequently an appeal was made to SA Rugby to reconsider the proposal.

A Special General Meeting was called on the 6th of December last year, ahead of the SA Rugby AGM, where the matter of an expanded Currie Cup Premier Division was once again put on the table, but the matter was postponed before going to a vote.

This is the matter that was supposed to be discussed on Friday, the 31st of January.

As part of the initial proposal, EP Rugby had indicated that, should they receive Currie Cup Premier Division, they would withdraw their rights to play promotion/relegation matches against the bottom placed South African Super Rugby Franchise at the end of the 2014 season.

EP Rugby would then use the Premier Division as a foundation to build on in preparation for inclusion in an expanded Super Rugby competition in 2016, where the Southern Kings have been guaranteed a spot as the sixth South African franchise.