Share

Fans hit back at Watson

Cape Town - Cheeky Watson has invoked the ire of many Sport24 readers after attempting to justify the make-up of his team to parliament.

Kings president Cheeky Watson says the South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) constant postponement of the decision to award them Super Rugby status in 2013 led to a number of top black players opting against turning out for the Port Elizabeth-based side.

SARU’s decision to allow the Kings into Super Rugby was only finalised in August last year - mere months before the start of this year’s tournament.

Although some Sport24 readers backed the Kings president, a majority were scathing of his comments.

Here's what Sport24 readers had to say about Cheeky Watson's recent comments:

"Cheeky......The pathetic excuses starts early. What are you on about? Jantjies, Ndungane, Mvovo, Mapoe, Ndungane and Kolisi are all playing for bigger unions and they are regular run on players. Do you think that they will in their right mind leave what they have right now (playing rugby on a high level) for a chance that they might NEVER see Super Rugby after this season?" - BulletjieBulBul

"Do you think Elton and Lionel actually wanted to join the Kings? the Kings are part of the reason the Lions were kicked out..."
- simon.berry925

"Finally something Cheeky and I agree with; we are both ashamed of the Kings." - joema39108

"Watson said the Kings were denied luring players such as Elton Jantjies (Stormers), Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks), Lionel Mapoe (Bulls), Akona Ndungane (Bulls) and Siya Kolisi (Stormers) to Port Elizabeth. The Kings were 'awarded' a place in the Super 14 under the false pretense of transformation. Even if they had all the time in the world to get those players - simply luring talented black stars from other provinces is not what I call transformation."
- Hendre Page

"What a despicable thing to say! How insulting to the players who are white, who gave their best in training and in their first game!"
- jeremy002

"I thought he promised to use local players in his province, not go get players from other provinces." - D Man

"Half the provincial players play for a province other than the one they were born/raised in so this is not a relevant argument."
- Amandlawhereto

"I am ashamed of the way politics is mixed up in SA rugby." - Wayne

"I am ashamed that South Africans can still be so racist."
- steve,vanrooyen

"It shouldn't matter! This country really needs to get over 'race'." - Martin van Steden 

"With all due respect I was under the impression that Cheeky Watson lobbied government to give the Kings a chance under the guise of it being for the development of 'previously disadvantaged' players, so where are these 'previously disadvantaged' players now? They are not at other unions!"
- AMT

"So instead of developing players, you want to buy already established Springbok players of colour? Was the goal not to bring up-and-coming players of colour to the fore?" - Deano Handbrake Wicks

"Players can only play for the province they were born in? In the era of professional rugby there are no 'provinces', just professional players plying their trade where they choose to." - Fther Christmas

"I wish this obsession with race would come to an end."
- Steven Goldswain

"Let me understand this correctly....the Kings were given (on a plate) a place in Super Rugby, so that they could ensure that there was a predominantly black (read indigenous African) team in the competition. Now that it seems that the team is not predominantly black, the president sees fit to apologise for too many whites in the side..." - kevin kramer


The big success story of the past weekend was the strong form of home-grown youngster Sergeal Peterson. (Gallo Images)

Have you started to warm to the Kings' team after their first Super Rugby win of the season? Send your thoughts to Sport24.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE