The heads of several senior contracted Golden Lions Rugby Union players are on the chopping block.
Furthermore, the union have admitted they erred in the past by contracting too many players, some of whom have not lived up to expectation, while others arrived in Johannesburg from other unions with chronic injuries, but have continued to bank big monthly pay cheques.
The burden of having to carry these players over the last few years has apparently cost the Lions millions in salaries each year, with little gained in return.
CEO of the Lions Manie Reynecke said this week the contracts of all 92 senior players at the union (including U-20 and U-21 players) who draw salaries will be reviewed following the Super Rugby season.
“We’ll go through everyone at senior level and make a call whether to extend their contracts or not. But the fact is we’re sitting with players in our system who are not favoured by the current coaching teams and this is a problem ... it’s costing the union dearly,” he said.
Reynecke added: “We’ve simply got to streamline the contracting process because there are too many players here who have contracts.”
Union president Kevin de Klerk admitted too many players were signed up too quickly in the past. He said the fact that the Lions have been coached by four different coaching teams in the last three years – Eugene Eloff, Jake White and Hans Coetzee, Dick Muir and John Mitchell – left a legacy that needed to be corrected.
“We all know that when a new coach comes in he wants certain players ... that’s happened to us four times in three years. A lot of the players who we signed up in that time have fallen through the cracks.
“But when teams are scrambling to survive and stay in contention in a competition (as has been the case with the Lions of the past) the coach says ‘grab this guy’ ... but the player then doesn’t continue to show the same kind of form as he did when he was signed up, or he’s carrying injuries you’re not aware of.”
De Klerk says the Mitchell coaching team have their plans in place for the next few years – up until October 2013 when the New Zealander’s contract expires.
“What we’re looking at doing is appointing a contracts manager who will work closely with John – to see where we as a union need to strengthen the playing depth and where we can off-load from our Professional Player List.”
It is understood that some of the Lions’ contracted players have fallen so out of favour they have to play club rugby and are not willing to do so. Others have been drawing salaries, but don’t play any rugby because of injuries, while others still have simply been unwilling to be loaned out to other teams. Among these are players who are apparently pocketing up to R800000 a year.
De Klerk quite rightly says the Lions “have to get their shop window” in order. “Above everything else we are measured by what happens on the field ... we need a few more heavyweights to help bring our promising youngsters through, so strengthening the side is a must and we’ve got to win.”
Retrenching senior players who are not going to play at Super Rugby level appears to be the first step then in ensuring the Lions have the funds available to build a stronger and more dynamic playing pool in future. As Mitchell has stated so often this year: “We’ve got to rid the union of the losing culture and bring in winners, experienced men who can play at Super Rugby level.”
l In tomorrow’s Saturday Star, Lions president Kevin de Klerk talks about his union’s relationship with their equity partners and also sheds light on the situation around a possible move to FNB Stadium.