Cape Town - The SA Rugby Union is backing its embattled chief executive Jurie Roux, who is in the middle of a legal battle with Stellenbosch University over allegations he diverted more than R30 million to benefit the Maties rugby club during his stint at the university before he joined Saru.
That was the word on Friday from Saru president Oregan Hoskins on the issue, which appeared to divide Saru. Hoskins came under pressure from some of the provincial unions’ presidents for not communicating better on the matter.
But at Friday’s general council meeting and annual general meeting, besides a few flimsy attempts by some northern unions to push for a few policy changes, Saru appeared to be on a much better wicket than during the time leading up to the meeting.
“I have always supported the CEO. The issues surrounding Stellenbosch have been difficult; they are going to be difficult,” Hoskins told a press conference on Friday. “It hasn’t been easy, and credit to him (Roux) that we have been able to work through it, despite the tension and all that it causes. We have worked through it and said let’s put our jobs first and rugby first.
“I think after today we can just put it behind us and move on.”
Hoskins admitted he hadn’t handled the situation particularly well - this could win him back some support from the public after a few supporters called for his head recently.
“You can be in the job for more than 10 years, but you learn.
“You just don’t stop learning and I have learnt quite a lot,” the Saru president said.
So could this meeting have been the tonic for Saru’s members to stop bickering and get on serving rugby in this country?
Hoskins thinks so. “There is a sense that everybody had got a chance to get stuff off their chests, and there was a chance to do some straight-talking.”
Weekend Argus