Limping Kings now face a boycott from their own supporters

Three heavy losses in their first three Pro14 games, depressing attendance figures and now a revolt within its structures.

It can’t get worse for the embattled Kings at the moment.

Also read: Former Springbok says rugby in the Eastern Cape is a ‘Bantustan’

According to HeraldLive, a prominent group within the Eastern Province Rugby Union’s (EPRU) constituency called the Rugby Transformation Coalition (RTC) have strongly encouraged fans and clubs to boycott the franchise.

It’s yet another chapter in the power struggle for control of the union.

“The call to our clubs and the greater Eastern Cape community to boycott the Southern Kings matches was considered as the last option,” Qondakele Sompondo, spokesperson for the RTC, said.

“However, we found ourselves without an option because a democratically elected executive is now being undermined and not allowed to run its affairs. We cannot allow that in our rugby.”

The situation is a complicated one.

In anticipation of the EPRU’s liquidation, the South African Rugby Union (Saru) decided to place the union under administration in February 2016.

Following a bailout from the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality, Saru announced earlier this year that the EPRU would be able to select it’s own office bearers again.

Despite the new EPRU executive board coming into office at the beginning of April, Saru still controls the Kings – ironically the only team that would bring in money for the union.

The RTC says this breaches clause 28.6 of Saru’s constitution, which states a union can’t elect it’s own office bearers if it’s still under administration.

“SA Rugby is in breach of its very own constitution by continuing to run professional rugby and affairs of EPRU. They took away the voting rights of a democratically elected executive; placed them under illegal administration; and made them in charge of amateur rugby, while they run professional rugby,” said Sompondo.

“Saru is not only undermining this executive but our clubs because they have ignored the resolution taken by the EPRU clubs in their last union meeting, asking them to hand over the control of the union to the new executive.”

Saru president Mark Alexander was in a defiant mood.

“Calls for boycotts do nothing other than further damage the reputation of the rugby people of Port Elizabeth in the eyes of South Africa and the wider rugby audience.”