New season, new jersey, new captain
POWERHOUSE prop Schalk Ferreira was named team captain when the Southern Kings unveiled their new Super Rugby jersey at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday.
The team kick off their season with a tough opener against the Jaguares next Saturday.
After much criticism of their quilt-style jersey last season, the Kings went for a more conservative design, which met with the immediate approval of the new captain.
“I love it. Especially the red line in the middle and the dark lines on the outside. It is slimming,” he said.
“The whole team like this jersey a lot. To be honest I prefer it to last season’s jersey. It is hard to encapsulate, but when something is beautiful it is beautiful. It is also well designed.
“The team will look good in this strip and black and red have always been our favourite colours.”
Ferreira said he felt honoured that he had been chosen to lead the Kings in Super Rugby.
“I would like the Kings to succeed, and to be captain of this bunch of guys is a big honour,” he said.
“We have to represent the whole Eastern Cape and we have no excuses this year because we have had a really good pre-season.”
The logo of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is displayed on the front of the new match jersey.
In a statement, the Kings said: “The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has always been a supporter of rugby and has been a key stakeholder to rugby in the province.
“The Southern Kings are negotiating with the metro with regard to [its] involvement and relationship going forward. It is [because] of such past support and current discussions that [it] has earned the most prominent place on the Southern Kings match jersey.”
Chief operating officer Charl Crous said: “It is a great privilege and honour for the Southern Kings to represent the province and city, and also having the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as our home.
“Vodacom Super Rugby is a premier product, and it is therefore important for us to associate with a premier brand like Canterbury, who came to the party at a late stage and provided us with a quality match kit for the players and replica apparel for our supporters.
“We learnt very late in January that BLK South Africa, our previous kit supplier, was liquidated despite assurances that after the liquidation of BLK in Australia our delivery would not be affected for 2017.
“We are excited about the relationship with Canterbury,” Crous said.
Kings head coach Deon Davids said he was delighted to name Ferreira as the new captain.
“Schalk is a great ambassador for the Southern Kings franchise,” he said.
“He’s an experienced Super Rugby player who has worn the Kings jersey through different campaigns and battles with pride and honour.”