SARU set up task group to manage Southern Kings

SARU CEO Jurie Roux says they have taken charge of the Southern Kings

The South African Rugby Union have released a statement confirming that they have established an operational implementation task group to oversee the running of the Southern Kings franchise in Super Rugby, SARU announced on Monday.

The group will meet in Cape Town on Wednesday to put in place the structures and processes required to take control of the running of the Southern Kings.

“We will be leaning heavily on EPRU personnel in this implementation process in due course and they are providing us with certain documentation to determine the current landscape at the franchise, ” said Jurie Roux, SARU CEO.

“This is a nuts and bolts process to establish what needs doing in the short term and what the longer term requirements may be.

“We understand that Kings supporters as well as staff and players have dozens of questions but until all the planning is in place and firm decisions have been taken it would be unfair to comment on all the speculation that is currently underway.

“Our single aim is to put in a place a robust structure that attends to the playing and commercial needs of the Southern Kings for Super Rugby. Once that is well underway we will be able to go into more detail. ”

Roux said that he implementation task group would initially comprise SARU general managers with differing expertise and a management representative from the EPRU and one from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium management company.