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Kings axe more than 20 players and eye up Premiership fly-half for next season
Since the Southern Kings were acquired by The Greatest Rugby Company in the Whole Wide World Ltd, with the private equity investor taking a 74% controlling share in the team, the franchise’s ambitions have seemingly been raised.
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The Port Elizabeth-based side have brought in Robbi Kempson as high performance director and the Guinness PRO14 side have been linked with a number of high-profile players.
The Kings were rumoured to be interested in Toulon‘s Julian Savea, with the French club having entered into an affiliation agreement with the Kings, but that prospective move was shot down by the player himself on social media. The Kings have added Jerry Sexton for the 2019/20 season, though, with the younger brother of Johnny Sexton making the move from Jersey Reds in the Greene King IPA Championship.
According to an interview with Rapport, Kempson and the Kings are set to let more than 20 players leave the franchise next season, as they remodel their squad and attempt to move up the conference table in the PRO14. As part of this rebuild, one player that Kempson has his eye on is Harlequins fly-half Demetri Catrakilis.
Kempson told Rapport, “We are still in negotiations with Demetri’s agent and Harlequins, just to make sure everything is done according to the book, but we will definitely reveal more about him next week.”
Catrakilis, 29, has another year left to run on his deal with Harlequins, but the South African has found his playing time limited in the English capital, with Marcus Smith the regular starter at fly-half and James Lang usually the player who rotates with the young star.
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Catrakilis joined the club from Montpellier, where he had a productive stint, but an unfortunate injury in his debut for Quins, which saw the fly-half break a bone in his throat, has made it difficult for the Johannesburg-native to establish himself in the senior squad.
Should Catrakilis opt for a move to the Kings – and the franchise can negotiate his release from his Quins contract – he will be returning to familiar ground, with arguably his standout season to date coming in 2013 when he played for the Kings in Super Rugby. His form that season warranted a call-up to the Springbok training squad, albeit he has yet to make his international debut.
If Kempson can add the veteran playmaker for next season, he would join the recently signed Courtney Winnar in a battle for the 10 jersey, with the former Sharks man making his debut for the Kings this past weekend.
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Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments