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Cape Town - Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) president Cheeky Watson says he is ready to step down from his post in order to pursue his business interests.
Following a meeting in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, Watson survived another motion of no confidence against him.
Several EPRU clubs attempted to unseat Watson as president of the union, but they were unsuccessful in their quest.
The clubs that wanted Watson out needed 63 votes (a two-thirds majority), but got only 52 votes, while 40 voted against the motion.
However, in an interview with the HeraldLIVE website, Watson said that he was willing to move on.
He didn’t specify an exact date, but commented: “It is a door in my life that needs to close and not to be resurrected again,” he said.
“I have never been a populist and I have never worried about people’s opinions and what they think of me. If I tackle a job I tackle it with every fibre of my being and try to be as successful as possible.
“It was gratifying to see the support from clubs, but one needs to look at the bigger picture here and look at rugby as a whole within the province."
The clubs have on several occasions this year tried to convene to vote for a motion of no confidence against Watson, but on each occasion the meetings were postponed due to some technicality.
Under Watson as president, the EPRU plunged into a financial crisis last year, with the union unable to pay players’ salaries.
Watson had promised a R200m sponsorship for the Kings but this failed to materialise, with players forced to accept food vouchers following the non-payment of salaries.
SA Rugby was forced to step in and take control of the union which was liquidated last month.
