The Eastern Province Rugby Union will be liquidated next week if SA Rugby fails to find a new investor.

SA Rugby announced on Tuesday that the mystery investor who had wanted to buy a 49% stake in EPRU had pulled out of the business rescue plan.

'The course we hoped to pursue has now been closed and we will have to await the final court order,' said SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said.

If SA Rugby fails to find a new investor, the application to have EPRU finally liquidated will proceed in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Thursday next week.

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