Eastern Province Kings

The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU or EP Rugby). The team represents the Western half of the Eastern Cape province, and they play their home games at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

History

The team was originally a representative team, drawing players from within the provincial union area's club teams. However, with the advent of professionalism in rugby union in 1995, the team now contracts players from various regions. The team now operates more like a professional club, though the EPRU are still responsible for junior representative rugby teams and administrative matters in the region.

Prior to 2010, they were known as the Mighty Elephants, but in order to align themselves with the Super Rugby franchise, the Southern Kings, they changed their name to Eastern Province Kings.^[1]

The union is the base of the Southern Kings, which also incorporates the Border Bulldogs and the SWD Eagles.

Stadium

The team was originally based at St George's Park. They shared the ground with the Eastern Province cricket team.

In 1959, the EPRU decided to move the team to the then named Boet Erasmus Stadium. The stadium was later named Telkom Park, due to a naming rights deal, and then renamed to the current name, the EPRU Stadium. The team played most home matches at the stadium, with a few hosted at other venues in Port Elizabeth and surrounding towns. During the late 2000s, the team shared the stadium with football (soccer) club Bay United.

In 2009, the team played its first match at their current home, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Honours

The team's major tournament wins include the 2002 Vodacom Shield and 2010 Currie Cup First Division.

Results by season

The table below indicates the Kings' recent finishes. This includes games played as Eastern Province, Eastern Province Kings and Mighty Elephants.

¹ Between 2000 and 2002, the top 4 in each section qualified for the Top 8 tournament, the bottom 3 in each section for the Bankfin Cup.
² In 2005, the top 4 in each section qualified for the Premier Division, the bottom 3 in each section for the First Division.

¹ Between 2001 and 2002, the top 4 in each section qualified for the Vodacom Top 8 tournament,
the bottom 3 in each section for the Vodacom Shield.

2012 season

Current Squad

As of 4 January 2012

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

¹Paul Perez is currently on loan at French Top 14 side Castres Olympique.^[2]

Team Officials

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official Facebook Group
• Official Facebook Page
• Eastern Province Kings on sarugby.co.za
• Eastern Province Kings on suparugby.co.za