Mission successful as Kings earn respect

Southern Kings coach Deon Davids (right) said the key to his side’s impressive success in Super Rugby this year had been the players coming together around a common goal, which was to earn respect from their fellow South Africans.

The Kings certainly added to their lustre by beating the Bulls 31-30 at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend and, even though it was announced on the eve of the game that they would be axed from Super Rugby next year, there is no doubt the team from the Eastern Cape has won enormous respect for their performances, which have brought them six wins this season.

“We had a Mission Impossible, but we had a common goal which was to achieve the impossible, beat some South African sides and get people back in our stadium. We have exceeded those targets and it’s because the players have worked hard on a common goal,” Davids said.

“This is a special feeling and you can see the players enjoy being together, they have bonded. It’s not always about what happens on the field, it’s also about your culture and creating something people will feel special about. I have excellent coaches around me, they work very hard behind the scenes and I just steer the ship in the right direction.”

The Kings are now likely to play in the European Pro12 competition, together with the Cheetahs, and Davids said he was looking forward to the certainty that would create for Eastern Cape rugby.

“Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to work with a team for more than one or two seasons. It’s tough starting all over again, but it would be a worthy cause if we go into an international competition somewhere. Then we’ve got to have a sustainable structure, with the juniors and an academy. We need to get Eastern Province rugby sustainable and I believe we can be excellent, but we can’t start from nowhere,” Davids said.