The Border Rugby Union has been suspended from SA Rugby membership as a consequence of its dire financial position and ongoing administration issues.
The decision was taken by the national governing body’s executive council (exco) at a meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday and allows SA Rugby to appoint an administrator to take full control of the union’s affairs.
Border first invited SA Rugby to assist in 2014, when an administrator was appointed to take limited financial oversight. The administrator’s role was reduced as the union’s affairs were regularised. However, in light of escalating issues, the exco applied the full extent of its constitutional powers.
‘This intervention is for the benefit of rugby in the Border region and has only been taken as a last resort,’ said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
‘The union has critical financial problems and repeated attempts to engage with the union’s leadership on a turnaround strategy have been met with no success.
‘Other members with similar challenges have engaged with us but Border have repeatedly missed scheduled engagements both with the SA Rugby executive council and the finance committee. We were left with no alternative.’
Alexander confirmed that an administrator will be appointed on a short-term basis to ensure that club and schools rugby would continue to function.
‘The administrator will report back to the executive council by the end of the year with a clear picture of the state of the union’s indebtedness and what options we may have for the trading entity.
‘The Border region is a very important pipeline for the emergence of black players and we could not stand by and watch it fall into complete disrepair. However, we are aware it faces significant financial challenges and SA Rugby does not have a magic wand to fix it.’
The application of the exco’s constitutional powers has the effect of SA Rugby suspending all funding to the union, suspending participation in all SA Rugby competitions and suspending participation in all SA Rugby meetings and governance structures.
Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images
