Publications
Partners
Port Elizabeth - Cheeky Watson says he won’t be standing for the position of Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) president in future.
Watson on Monday stepped down from his position at the union which is currently under administration.
His decision comes after SA Rugby announced earlier in the week that the union will be returned to local hands following a series of ground-breaking decisions at a special general meeting in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Under Watson's leadership, the EPRU suffered a financial crisis in 2015 during which the union were unable to pay its players' salaries.
He also faced several motions of no confidence after a R200m sponsorship which he promised for the EPRU's Super Rugby franchise, the Kings, failed to materialise.
The EPRU’s affairs were eventually placed into the administrative control of SA Rugby after the Port Elizabeth-based union was liquidated.
Watson called for unity and an end to negativity ahead of EPRU’s upcoming election to find a new president.
“I always said that if there was stability with SA Rugby’s intervention and with possible funders in the wings, I would immediately resign,” Watson told the HeraldLIVE website.
“I think that stability is there now and the time has come to hand over the reins to new leadership. I would not consider standing again. This is a chapter that has passed and is history.
“The important thing with elections coming up is that there is unity and compromise among candidates. It is vitally important that there is unity and the negativity around EP Rugby needs to stop.”
Watson called on EP fans and administrators to stand by whoever is elected new president.
