Born to be a King
6 Dec 2010
MARK KEOHANE reports from London that Luke Watson has signed for the Eastern Province Kings.
Watson will play out the remainder of his Bath contract and join the Kings in June for the 2011 Currie Cup.
Watson is currently captain of Bath and Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said the signing of Watson showed the intent of the union to be a force in South African rugby over the next three years.
‘Our main drive is to build a team capable of winning the Currie Cup First Division in 2011 and one good enough to win the promotion play-off matches and after that be successful in the Currie Cup Premier Division and Super Rugby,’ said Solomons in an official release from the EP Kings. ‘Luke is very much part of that vision and it says everything about our ambition that we could inspire him to return to his province of birth when there is such a demand for his services in Europe.’
Solomons, in the statement, said he was hopeful that Watson’s decision to return to the Eastern Cape would encourage other Eastern Cape born and schooled players to be part of the Kings’ pioneer years.
‘This is an exceptional time in the region and the most exciting project I have ever been involved in,’ said Solomons, who enjoyed success as Western Province, Stormers and Ulster head coach and assistant coach with the Springboks between 1997 and 2000. ‘Luke has a passion for the province and the region and our creed at the Kings is to be bring them home and keep them home. Luke is one of Grey PE’s finest rugby products and he is also a leader and inspirational figure.’
Watson, who met with Solomons in London, said he had been impressed with Solomons and that returning to the Eastern Cape allowed him to give of his best playing years to his home province.
‘From what I have seen and heard and from my interaction with Solly I have no doubt it is the right decision for me as a person and a rugby player. I want to make a contribution to rugby in the Eastern Cape,’ said Watson. ‘I have been fortunate to play for some of the finest professional teams in the Sharks, Western Province, Stormers and Bath, but this is a challenge of a very different kind, and the chance to be integral to the building of a team in a province where I was born and raised is a challenge I could not refuse. I am extremely grateful to Bath for the opportunities over the last two years and I will leave Bath at the end of the season an improved and more mature player than the one who arrived,’ said Watson. ‘My focus now will be to give Bath everything until the end of the season and ensure my performances are consistent with the standard I expect of myself and in keeping with the standards we as a team at Bath need to deliver to improve our season.’
‘The Kings achieved a tremendous amount in the last six months. We won the First Division, but came up short in the final promotion/relegation match and it is a reality that the squad has to be strengthened if we are to realize our ambition of being a leader of South African rugby. We will nurture the talent within the province, but part of our vision has always been to bring back players whose roots are in the Eastern Cape,’ said Solomons, who was also schooled at Grey PE.
‘We will also have to invest strategically in players in positions where depth is an issue. For me to sell a rugby vision to players who are willing to give up playing in Europe’s finest competitions to play First Division rugby in South Africa as part of our promotion ambitions is a compliment to what the EP President and CEO have achieved, but if we don’t have a team that wins we don’t have a product and no vision can be realized without a successful team. I have always been a believer that the core product is rugby and if you get that right, the rest in terms of commerce and support follows.’
In November I visited Bath and interviewed Watson. He gave an indication then that he wanted to return to South Africa, but not even he envisaged it would be within six months. The interview was the lead story in Business Day Sport Monthly.
In the Business Day Sport Monthly article, Watson said: ‘People assume because my father is the president of the EP Kings that I will naturally be a part of the Kings when I return to South Africa, but if I go to the Kings it will be because I want to be there and not because it’s the decision of my father.
‘I respect what my father has done in his life but the decisions regarding my future will be mine and influenced on the impact it will have on my wife [Elaine] and our children. If the Kings are a part of my rugby future, any decision to go there will be for the right reason – and that would be my belief that I can make a difference to people that extends beyond playing rugby.’
257 Comments
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8 Dec 2010, 09:52 am
@PaulLondon :
go easy on lilly.
she doesn’t like south africans who live overseas.
alhtough you are allowed to support new Zealand at rugby.
just as long as you still live in south africa
8 Dec 2010, 10:02 am
249. stew
My guess is that Kings will replace Lions in super rugby in 2013, at this stage one of the teams will have to make way and the Lions have over the past few years been the weakest team…
8 Dec 2010, 10:07 am
@stew : Don’t blame Luke, this is something the government must take credit for. Picking quota players, and Luke was not the first, is discrediting a great history of players that have given their lives to the game and their country and actually what I would term is vomiting on the Springbok jersey. Luke may just have been the most talented quota yet.
8 Dec 2010, 10:12 am
BTW, John Smit is now over the hill and should take up his place next to Naas. He is not good enough to be in the team so should now learn to judge rugby objective or shut his mouth.
8 Dec 2010, 10:19 am
@garth :
should now learn to judge rugby objective or shut his mouth.
what are you talking about?
are you unwell?
8 Dec 2010, 10:37 am
@phil72 : 252 Your guess is not as good as mine then.
9 Dec 2010, 16:29 pm
@Black Panther : @ 236
@Transformation : @ 237
I just KNEW Luke still had 1000 in him, I was just Luke’ing on the wrong thread.
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