Kings prove that they belong
JUST a day after their expected exclusion from Super Rugby, the Southern Kings achieved their crowning moment in the competition by recording yet another historic victory when they beat the Bulls 31-30 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.
It was a victory for the underdog, a victory for a team not deemed good enough but more than anything it was a moral victory for rugby and the future of the Kings up north.
The Kings have defied the logic that they, along with the Cheetahs, are the weakest sides in South Africa and are deserving of the proverbial axe that fell on them on Friday and instead planted the seed of doubt on whether it was a wise decision to leave them out of the southern hemisphere’s premier competition.
But typical of the resilience the Kings have shown this season in defying the odds and beating the Sunwolves, Waratahs, Jaguares and Bulls away from home including a maiden victory against a South African side with a win over the Sharks in Port Elizabeth, Deon Davids’ men are already looking to a new dawn in their rugby with the likelihood of them playing in a new northern hemisphere competition.
Kings captain Lionel Cronje, the man who has been at the heart of the Kings revival and all conquering spirit, says it was never about proving their worth in the competition but rather about getting self-respect for themselves as individuals and as a team.
“This whole season has been to play for the self-respect and to get the respect of the players around you and to earn the respect and show your worth to yourself before you can worry about external factors that you have no control over.
“It is what it is, there is nothing we can do about it. We can only look forward to it like we have looked forward to this Super Rugby campaign when it started out.
“We can’t be negative about it, we have to be positive about it. It is a new venture and there are a lot of positives that can come out of it and that is what we choose to focus on.
“That is what our team is built on is being positive and enjoying it and each other’s environment. Whatever circumstance or competition we will be in we are going to look to be competitive and enjoy our rugby and play for each other,” Cronje said after contributing 21 points to his team’s win at Loftus.
Cronje is heading to Japan while the likes of star wing Makazole Mapimpi is going to the Cheetahs, flank Chris Cloete to the Pumas, scrumhalf Louis Schroeder to the Sharks, flank Tyler Paul to the Sharks, lock Irne Herbst and prop Dayaan van der Westhuizen back to the Bulls, leaving Davids without the spine of the team that has sent shockwaves throughout Super Rugby this year.