Kings confirm captain's departure
The Kings confirmed that captain Steven Sykes and veteran tighthead prop Jacobie Adriaanse will both be moving on at the end of the Super Rugby season.
Kings Chief Operating Officer Charl Crous confirmed that Sykes will be moving to Oyonnax, in France, while Adriaanse will join the Bulls at the end of the Super Rugby season.
"Steven has signed a two-year deal with Oyonnax, and Jacobie has signed with the Bulls until October 2018," he said.
Sykes said he had learnt a great deal while at the Southern Kings and was grateful for the opportunity to have captained the side this year.
"I have been playing professional rugby since 2004 and this has been one of my best years to date," said Sykes.
"Everyone at the Kings has been very positive and playing with a group of young players, who are eager to learn and play top class rugby, alongside players like CJ [Cyril-John] Velleman and James Hall, has also inspired me and helped me to improve my game," he said.
Sykes said he was sad to leave the Kings, and that Port Elizabeth would always be his home.
"You have to take the opportunities when they present themselves," he said.
Sykes said his focus had not changed, and he would remain committed to leading the Southern Kings until the end of the Super Rugby season.
Adriaanse said he was also grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Southern kings structures this year.
"I am really grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the structures here and have really enjoyed my time with the Southern Kings," he said.
"The Kings have been a fantastic group of players to be a part of," he added.
Adriaanse said he was looking forward to the next challenge, but that his focus was still on the super rugby matches that lay ahead.
"I am still here until the end of the Super Rugby season, I'm not going anywhere yet," he said.
