Former Blitzboks coach ‘does a Willemse’ and ‘Stormers’ out of meeting

The embattled Stormers have been weakened even further by an apparent split within the team’s management structure.

According to Netwerk24, former Blitzboks coach and current assistant Paul Treu stormed out of a meeting designed to review the Capetonians’ Super Rugby campaign.

The Stormers only won six of their 16 matches in 2018, their worst showing since 2009.

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Treu allegedly stood up and stated that he was “tired of being treated poorly” and “won’t stand for such treatment any more”.

The publication’s sources also mentioned that Treu refused to participate in the review process and didn’t even turn up for work on Thursday.

Earlier this year, the Stormers controversially decided to re-align the assistant coaches’ responsibilities, which led to clear hitches on the field and created apparent unhappiness among the coaching staff.

It’s also understood that Treu and New Zealander Paul Feeney, recruited in late 2016 from the Blues, don’t see eye to eye.

Netwerk24 further report that the coaches allegedly butted heads before the team’s final regular season match against the Sharks at Newlands earlier this month.

Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) president, Thelo Wakefield, said he was aware of the underlying tensions and was giving attention to it as a “matter of urgency”.

The current drama is playing off against the background of the WPRU’s continued financial problems.

The union recently had to take out a mortgage as security against loans fronted by Johann Rupert’s Remgro to the tune of R44 million.

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