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Ex-Springbok quotes Ronald Reagan as crisis fund-raiser launched for unpaid Kings

27 Sep 2020

(Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Former Springboks midfielder Braam van Straaten has issued an emotional video message quoting ex-USA President Ronald Reagan in an attempt to raise funds for players and staff of the Southern Kings, the South African PRO14 franchise who went into liquidation last weekend.

With the Port Elizabeth-based club declared a busted flush, it has emerged that none of the Kings’ 36 players and 16 coaches and staff were paid for the month of September and van Straaten, the 21-cap Bok who also played for Sale and Leeds in England, has called on the rugby family worldwide to help alleviate the pay crisis.

In a 33-second video, Kings assistant coach van Straaten said: “Good morning South Africa and the rugby fraternity around the world. The liquidation of the Kings is not a dream, it’s our reality.

RugbyPass pays a visit to the Southern Kings in Rugby Explorer

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RugbyPass pays a visit to the Southern Kings in Rugby Explorer

“As Ronald Reagan said and I quote, ‘You can’t help everyone but everyone can help someone’. These boys really do need your help. Please donate and show how much we care. I’m Braam van Straaten from the Southern Kings. Amen and God bless.”

Kings were one of the two South African franchises to join the PRO14 in 2017 following their exclusion from Super Rugby. However, their results were dreadful, the club winning just four of its 55 matches and attracting minuscule attendances to its home games.

Faced with an accumulated deficit of R55m (£2.5m) and with zero income in prospect for the remainder of 2020, the Kings shareholders, the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) and SA Rugby, took the decision to go into voluntary liquidation.

“The hard fact is that the Kings are insolvent, with significant debts and zero assets and it would have been reckless of the board to continue to trade,” said board chairman Andre Rademan last weekend.

SA Rugby resumed ownership of a 74 per cent shareholding in the PRO14 Kings in June following the failure of the previous owners – the Greatest Rugby Company in the Whole Wide World (GRC) – to honour contractual commitments in relation to its purchase of the shares.

The GRC acquired the shareholding in January 2019 but were unable to deliver the promised turnaround, leaving the Kings struggling to build a sustainable business model.

Statement comes 4️⃣ days after Kings were liquidated https://t.co/RDbuTa0vzX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 23, 2020

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Tom 1 hour ago

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Borthwick definitely deserves credit for the performance against Wales. He's been justly criticised for taking so long to get a performance out of them but it definitely feels like he was the architect of that win. He picked a very strangely balanced 23 and it played out perfectly. Fingers crossed Borthwick will take the shackles off now. If we went after Ireland with that level of determination and self belief it may have been a different result. That's not to say we would have been able to play in the same manner but it felt like the first time since last year's Ireland that the players were singing off the same hymn sheet. There was a shared purpose and everyone played their part to near perfection. Again, it was a poor Wales so can't get ahead of ourselves but I hope Borthwick will turn a corner.

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My name is Amelia Jonathan from the United States, Using this opportunity to thank Dr. Ughulu is a grateful thing to me, for over years I have been sick with Hepatitis B disease, I have done a lot of things to get cured of my diseases and nothing has worked out. I have taken different types of medication for it , but it still doesn’t work for me. I still keep going for a check up so that the doctor will tell me my disease has be gone, because i’m taking my medicine with no result nothing has been cured, I have spent a lot of money just to get cure of Hepatitis B. until my old time friend came to my place and saw what am going through, and then direct me to contact Dr. Ughulu who is a very powerful man, which I did explain my problem to Dr. Ughulu and send me a herbal remedy bottle and explain to me how I should drink it. So I started to drink the herbal tea in one week that I drink the herbal tea. I went for a check up to check if I’m cured from Hepatitis B disease, then the nurse told me nothing is wrong with me anymore and said I’m fine. I am the happiest person right now. I promise Dr Ughulu I will testify about his good work on the internet. Reach out to Dr. Ughulu Via: drughulupowerfulspelltemple@gmail.com Thank you so much sir for what you did for me you’re the best of all. TEXT OR CALL: +1(252) 409-1841 or website: https://drughulupowerfulsp.wixsite.com/my-site-ughulu WHATSAPP NUMBER: +1(720) 794-2516

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Bob Salad II 1 hour ago

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Possibly, but the Prem is high scoring, played fast and with high ball in play times, so I’m not sure it’s simply down to SH refs officiating.

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Bob Salad II 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Through the lens of ‘scenarios’ as you put it, the AIs could also have been very different. Yes, Wales are currently the worst team in the NH, but even so, neither Ireland or France dominated them so emphatically and - in the case of Ireland, after Wales had shown some improvement on previous form.

England were always going to find some groove at some point, so I don’t buy the line that Borthwick is simply ‘lucky’ anymore than I didn’t buy the line that England were unlucky on tour against the ABs and through the AIs.

With a largely development squad being sent on tour against the Pumas this summer, we’ll have to wait until the AIs in November to see whether the performance against Wales was just an outlier or reflective of a team that are starting to click.

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Tom 1 hour ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Maybe teams need to start heading the ball more? Genge at first receiver playing it through for Freeman? It's worked a few times by accident, just imagine what they could achieve with practice! Jamie Roberts could have been the Welsh Ronaldo!

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Mzilikazi 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Very interesting article, Nick. Thanks for writing. I have not even read a full report on the game yet, let alone watched it. So it is all news to me. Fascinating move, so many backrowers and 7’s on the field at the one time.

I must say though, that I do ponder on how well England would have done against the Boks, AB’s, or France playing as they have done at the end of the 6 N. I think any of those teams would have almost certainly exposed Earl playing at centre, and they would have been in a different world to Wales as opponents.

My view is that England have had a lot of good fortune in this 6 N. On another day, France would not have dropped so much ball, and would have defended those last two tries way better. Scotland would have beaten England had Russell got any one of three kicks between the posts. I do think that England still don’t fully use the back resources they have, and could be badly exposed by any one of the top three teams in the world, which I would see as the three I named above. Though Ireland still sit third, that is, imo, very tenuous.

And it has been a funny old 6 N this year, with Ireland also having had a fair measure of good fortune. They also could have lost the games against Italy, and Wales too. They have dropped away badly.

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Tom 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

It's certainly hard to read too much into a demolition of a struggling Welsh side in terms of how that will transpire against better teams.

What I can say is that it was a very good performance. There was genuine trepidation about a resurgent Wales at home with nothing to lose and England blew them away. England weren't ruthless enough to do the same to Italy the week before. It's a step in the right direction. It would be really cool if we could take some of this innovation and build on it. I'd hate for it to be built on sand and come crashing down the next time a bomb squad trundles across the touchline.

13 Go to comments

AA 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Firstly England were terrific for 82 minutes and deserve the plaudits.

Borthwick, though, must be the luckiest coach around .

Had a broken arm not occured Marcus would still be no 10 , had Russell put the kick over and France not dropped the ball , had Lawrence not been injured the scenario would be very different .

England beat the worst team in the northern hemisphere , let’s not get carried away .

The forwards scored 6 of the 10 tries and Mitchell’s was somewhat flukish .

The speed and power of play was the difference and the forwards were unrecognisable from previous games.

Had Marcus had such a ride in his games he too would have been praised for his play .

Ford came on against a poor and beaten team with the score 40 up . Easy peasy. Short memories fail to remember against Nz and Aus , top teams, he lost both games.

The changes were forced on Borthwick , not by natural selection and they have been all for the better.