Not much expected from Luke’s unloved rookies

NO NEWCOMER to Super Rugby has been as unfancied or unloved as the Southern Kings from Port Elizabeth.

They debut in the 15- team southern hemisphere provincial championship this afternoon against Australian visitors Western Force at a 2010 football World Cup venue, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

And while the side captained by experienced No 8 and former Springbok Luke Watson are sure to be cheered on to the field as the Eastern Cape gets its first taste of Super 15 fare, many other South Africans will not back the Kings.

They do not support the “boardroom” promotion of the side at the expense of the Johannesburgbased Golden Lions, who were dumped after finishing bottom of the SA Conference last season.

Nor is 29-year-old Watson popular among many South Africans after criticising alleged Afrikaner dominance of the sport and the green-and-gold Springbok jersey they cherish.

Watson later publicly apologised for saying the jersey was a symbol of apartheid that he could “get sick on”, but many beyond the Eastern Cape have neither forgiven nor forgotten.

The Southern Kings were promoted to Super Rugby despite not being strong enough to compete in the first tier of the Currie Cup – they won the second division only to be crushed by the Free State Cheetahs in a two-leg promotion play-off.

Their elevation to Super Rugby followed years of pressure on the national rugby union from the government to bring top-class competition to the Eastern Cape, where the majority of black players are based.

But the Kings’ starting line-up against the Force contains only one black player, hooker Bandise Maku, who was born in the Eastern Cape and arrived in Port Elizabeth via the Bulls and the Lions.

Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said: “Black stars like Akona and Odwa Ndungane, Lwazi Mvovo and Siya Kolisi were forced to join other franchises because the Eastern Cape did not offer opportunities”.

The debutants only got the green light six months ago to com- pete in Super Rugby this season, giving Solomons and New Zealandborn head coach Matt Sexton little chance to woo back departed stars.

Ironically, none of the overseas signings – scrumhalf Nicolas Vergallo and loose forward Tomas Leonardi from Argentina and fullback Hadleigh Parkes from New Zealand – made the run-on team against the Force.

Only Watson, former Coastal Sharks lock Steven Sykes, Maku and ex-Cheetahs centre Andries Strauss boast considerable Super Rugby experience and 18-year-old left wing Sergeal Petersen comes straight from schools rugby.

“Whether you have 100 games under your belt or one – it is all about wearing your heart on your sleeve,” stressed Watson, who spent several seasons at English Premier League outfit Bath.

“You must start somewhere and there is no doubt that our young players have the ability to step up. This is an exciting time for all of us and we cannot wait to get going.”

After the Force, the Kings host 2012 runners-up Sharks and champions Waikato Chiefs on successive weekends before heading for New Zealand, where their first opponents are seven- time titleholders, the Canterbury Crusaders.

A demanding start for a team most pundits believe is doomed to finish bottom of the SA Conference and face a home-and-away promotion play- off against the Lions. – Sapa-AFP