Dekker to decide on 'Daniller docket'
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:16
The ongoing player eligibility saga that has rocked South Africa's premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup, took another twist on Thursday with the news that Dekker Govender has been appointed as the Judicial Officer to deal with the matter.
The Free State Cheetahs and Griffons are under investigation over allegations that they have abused the South African Rugby Union (SARU) player loan agreement and have been fielding "ineligible players" in the Currie Cup (Premier Division) and First Division competitions.
An investigation, instigated by Western Province and backed up by the South Western Districts (SWD) Eagles with complaints of their own, will determine if the Cheetahs and Griffons are indeed in breach of SARU regulations.
In a statement issued on Thursday SARU said it is "currently reviewing documentation" relating to the complaint that the Griffons and Cheetahs fielded ineligible players.
"Judge Lex Mpati, chairman of the National Judicial Committee, has appointed Dekker Govender of Durban as the Judicial Officer to deal with the matter," the SARU statement said.
"Govender will inform SARU on Friday on the outcome of his decision."
The saga relates to the loan appearance for the Griffons, in First Division fixtures, of Cheetahs players Hennie Daniller, Jandré Blom and Jacques-Louis Potgieter.
Western Province officials, cleverly dovetailing with the Eagles, who lodged a parallel complaint, are contesting the validity of the practice whereby the Cheetahs loan players to the Griffons to play in the First Division and then recall those players when they are needed for duty in the Currie Cup competition.
It is worth noting that Western Province are involved in a race with the Cheetahs and the Lions for a place in the Currie Cup semifinals, while the Eagles could benefit from a reversal of points (which is what they have requested), which will allow them to take the place of the Griffons in the promotion/relegation series between Premier and First Division teams later this month.
Another recent spat between WP and Cheetahs officials that could be factored into the equation is that the Cheetahs complained when Province wanted their Currie Cup fixture against the Boland Cavaliers moved from Wellington to Newlands because of the poor state of the Boland Stadium pitch. The Cheetahs, who claimed they were forced to play in worse conditions in Wellington, insisted that proper protocol be followed and as a result the match went ahead in Wellington - almost certainly costing WP a bonus point that would have put them ahead of the Cheetahs on the standings.
The WP/Eagles player eligibility complaint centres on two issues - whether the Currie Cup Premier Division and the First Division teams compete in the same competition and whether the Cheetahs and Griffons are pushing the limit of the laws with the frequency in which these players are moved between the two competitions.
The SARU President's Council last year ruled that the Premier Division (Currie Cup) and First Division are separate competitions, but WP and the Eagles are contesting this ruling.
The Cheetahs, in turn, contest that they had permission from SARU's legal department to make use of the loan system.
"We took a good look at the regulations before the start of the season," Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské told the Afrikaans daily, Volksblad.
The Cheetahs also maintain that their team manager, Helgard Müller, received written approval of the loan agreement from Christo Ferreira, General Manager of Policies and Regulations at SARU, on July 3.
By Jan de Koning
