Three Elephants in with chance to step up to PRO14 for Kings

THREE EP Elephants players have been rewarded for enterprising play in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge by being invited for PRO14 trials with the Southern Kings.

Kings chief operating officer Charl Crous said prop Zandre Vos, loose forward Bakkies Brown and fullback Michael Botha had been invited to train with the PRO14 side.

The Kings have named a provisional 29man squad ahead of the new PRO14 season, which kicks off in September.

Cameroonian prop Thierry Kuate and former SWD Eagles wing Clinton Wagman will join the Kings later on trial.

“I do not want to name all the players who are on trial with us at the moment,” Crous said.

“There might be some more added later, and we are talking to other players.

“I can confirm that three EP Elephants players – Zandre Vos, Bakkies Brown and Michael Botha – are among the players we have been looking at.

“All three have been invited to train with the Kings. The search for a suitable assistant coach in the place of Barend Pieterse, who has gone to Japan, is under way. “We are spreading the net wide,” he said. SA Rugby said they had given Kuate (College Rovers, Durban) and Wagman (Progress RFC in George) the opportunity to play for a PRO14 contract.

In 2013 and 2014, Kuate played club and provincial rugby in South Africa, and was later contracted to play for the Waratahs in Australia. He later signed for French club Carcassonne for 2016 and 2017.

Wagman, a wing, was first involved in provincial-level youth rugby when he represented the Golden Lions at the 2006 U16 Grant Khomo Week.

Last season, the Kings won only one of their 21 PRO14 games, after being hastily assembled after their Super Rugby exit.

Provisional squad: