Braced for boardroom blitz for Saru top job

SOUTH African Rugby Union’s interim president Mark Alexander confirmed he will stand for the position vacated by Oregan Hoskins last week when new officeare elected.

Hoskins stepped down as president 18 months shy of the end of his 10-year tenure and his deputy Alexander was placed as his stand-in following the announcement. Business Day understands the new president will be elected within the next few months.

The 14 SA Rugby member unions will be given at least 30 days to nominate their candidates before the date is set. Alexander was Hoskins’s deputy since the departed president beat the late Mike Stofile to the post in the 2008 election.

“I’m going to stand for the position,” said Alexander.

“But the normal election process will take place and we’ll allow that process to run its course. It’s business as usual and we are doing the work we have to do. We are implementing our business plan as set out at the beginning of the year, so nothing’s new after Hoskins stepped down. But we do thank him for the work he’s done over the last 10 years but we as a board will go on.”

But Alexander might face stiff competition to succeed Hoskins from Golden Lions Rugby Union president Kevin de Klerk. Business Day understands that De Klerk already enjoys the support of Leopards and Mpumalanga (Pumas) Rugby Union presidents André May and Hein Mentz.

De Klerk said he had yet to make up his mind on whether he would accept nomination.

“Sincerely, my mind hasn’t been on it yet and I haven’t given it that depth of thought,” he said.

“It was a hectic week last week. The news that Hoskins stepped down didn’t come as a shock but it was quite a traumatic event for SA Rugby. yet.”

Although Hoskins can claim to have left SA Rugby in a healthier state than he found it in 2006, someone else will have to sweep up some of the mess he left behind. The EP Kings situation, players deserting the country for Japan and Europe and Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula’s ban on hosting major events because of lack of transformation are some of the problems. Alexander said he would work on getting the mini findings overturned, to give the country a chance at hosting the 2023 World Cup.

“Rugby’s image did take a bit of a knock after the sports minister’s The dust hasn’t settled statement about being untransformed,” said Alexander.

“But if you look at the make-up of our school teams, it shows there’s a big change coming. We are changing according to our plans for 2019. We never lost the minister’s faith – that’s where people misunderstood what he said – but he told us to deliver on what we set out to.”

Alexander also said that one of the major operations SA Rugby were undertaking, along with Southern Hemisphere mother body Sanzaar, was a review of whether competitions such as Super Rugby were working in their current formats. Leaving Sanzaar for the Northern Hemisphere was not an option. —