Far away from the boardrooms that have been their stumbling block since their inception, the Southern Kings have been hard at work in the preseason to not only restore their dignity but to fight for their survival in Super Rugby.
With speculation coming out of Sanzar’s highest office that the future of the competition could be without two franchises of the current 18 teams, the Kings find themselves in a battle on many fronts to prove their worth and long term sustainability.
However, adversity has been the life blood that has kept the Kings alive in all these years and their resilience and fighting spirit will again be the cornerstones of their campaign.
For the first time since taking over the reins at the beginning of last year Kings coach Deon Davids has been able to get through an entire preseason schedule and managed to squeeze in two preseason friendlies against neighbours the Border Bulldogs (28-10) and the South Western Districts Eagles (42-25).
The Kings low key preparations for the season ahead could have something to do with their hectic travelling schedule at the beginning of the competition with their first match being against the Jaguares in Port Elizabeth before they travel to Singapore to face the Sunwolves and then return home to play the Stormers followed by a short hop to Durban to face the Sharks.
“We have been training hard and everything looks good on the training field. We just need to convert all of that onto the playing field. I think we are ready. Our off-season was very good. We are on the right track,” said Kings utility back Siyanda Grey.
After enjoying a breakthrough season in the Kings first year of Super Rugby in 2013, Grey’s progress has been stunted by a string of career threatening injuries but the former Grey High School pupil seems to be over his injuries and looking at making a contribution to the Kings success this season.
Grey will form part of a credible Kings squad that include the likes of Junior Springbok Wandile Mjekevu, former Stormers scrumhalf Louis Schreuder, former Bulls, Brumbies and Sharks flyhalf Lionel Cronje and up-and-coming stars Chris Cloete, Thembelani Bholi, Malcolm Jaer and CJ Velleman all of who will look to improve the team’s fortunes from last year.
“I can’t compare last year to this year because we had difficulties last year, but this year everything is in place, and we are looking good,” said Grey.
“We are focusing on this year and we have prepared well for the year, and it has been really good so far. This year we are focusing on winning our home games, more importantly. Our focus is to do better than last season. We have prepared well and I do think we will do better than last season.”
Davids will surely expect his side to do better than last year with most of his squad likely to be fit and available for selection but Velleman will remain on the sidelines until April as he recovers from a knee injury while prop Dayan van der Westhuizen looks set to miss out on the beginning of the season as he continues to undergo rehabilitation for a foot injury.
Irne Herbst, Cloete and Neil Maritz sustained concussions during training while flyhalf Pieter-Steyn de Wet sustained a concussion during the Kings’ win against the Eagles but are all likely to be fit ahead of next week’s season opener against the Jaguares.
“We are fortunate not to have any new or serious injuries after our pre-season matches. Our four players who sustained concussions are making good progress as they go through the return-to-play protocol. It is extremely vital that we take the most caution and adhere to the protocol before players return to the field. At this stage we are hopeful that all the players will be available for our first Super Rugby match against the Jaguares,” team doctor Konrad von Hagen said.
Davids will name his team's captain today with veteran prop Schalk Ferreira the frontrunner to lead the side for the season.