VIDEO: Lions at forefront of SA rugby
WATCH as retired Lions President Kevin de Klerk talks about his successor and the challenges facing the game in South Africa.
De Klerk, 68, who announced his retirement this past week, said his successor is to come from ‘inside’ the current structures.
However, he was not willing to divulge any names.
“They, the [possible] successors, have all been part of this operation,” De Klerk said.
He described the appointment of a successor – to be named after a special general meeting in the next three weeks – as one of “the most important” challenges facing the Lions going forward.
He said another important aspect is what funding does come through the process, including the broadcasting rights from SARU.
“To try and retain a good quality and quorum of players in this environment financially – where you compete against the Euro and pound – is pretty tough,” De Klerk said.
“Up till now, we [the Lions] stand at the forefront of how our business is run,” he added.
De Klerk said it would be “arrogant” of him to offer advice to SARU, but felt they may be on the right track.
He suggested the national body has some “great plans” in place.
“We are in a tough economic climate,” he said, adding: “What is prevalent is that sponsors are very tough to come by.
“SARU has a budget they need to meet – a lot of unions to cater for.
“They are trying the best they can.”
He said the decision to send more teams to join the Southern Kings and Cheetahs in the Pro14 will depend on the financial aspects.
“It is great exposure for those teams – to travel overseas, to play in Europe.
“However, the financial model must work and those are the hard things a business has to take account of.
“I don’t know it is actually working at this stage, financially.
“Compared to most countries in the world, we [SA] produce the most players.
We have most youngsters, great youngsters, coming through.
“The fact remains, the economic constraints are not going to make it easy to have a squad bigger than 45 professional players.
“There are immense challenges waiting for us there.”
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