THE Eastern Province Kings and the Sharks have reached a mutual agreement to call off their friendly rugby match which was scheduled to have been played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 11 July.
THE Eastern Province Kings and the Sharks have reached a mutual agreement to call off their friendly rugby match which was scheduled to have been played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 11 July.
The coaches of both teams, Brent Janse van Rensburg and Gary Gold (Sharks), felt the timing of the match did not fit in with their build-up to the Currie Cup season.
Both unions have recently undergone a number of changes in both coaching and playing personnel, and will be using the next month to continue fine-tuning their preparations for the premier domestic competition. Therefore the unions have mutually agreed that this pre-season friendly will not take place.
"We apologise to members of the public who were looking forward to this encounter, but the situation at this stage just does not suit the preparations of both teams," EP Kings chief executive officer Charl Crous said.
However, the Kings' friendly matches against the Blue Bulls and Western Province at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will continue as scheduled. They will play the Bulls in Port Elizabeth on Friday, 17 July (kick-off 7pm) and Western Province on Saturday, 25 July (kick-off 7pm).
EP will then have a weekend's break before beginning their Currie Cup campaign with a home fixture against the Lions on 8 August. -BB Media
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