Eastern Province Elephants
Full nameEastern Province Elephants
UnionEastern Province Rugby Union
Founded1888
RegionWestern half of the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Ground(s)Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Capacity: 48,000)
PresidentMaasdorp Cannon
Coach(es)Dumisani Mhani
Captain(s)Garrick Mattheus
League(s)Currie Cup First Division
2022Runners-up
2nd on log
Team kit
Official website
www.eprugby.co.za
Current season

The Eastern Province Elephants (known as the Multisure Eastern Province Elephants for sponsorship reasons) are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge competitions. They 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.

In February 2018, the EPRU announced that the name of the team would revert to Eastern Province Elephants for the 2018 season.[1]

History

The Eastern Province Rugby Football Union was founded in 1888. The team was originally a representative team, drawing players from within the provincial union area's local clubs.

Professionalism and Super Rugby

The team was known as the Eastern Province Kings from 2010 to 2017.

However, with the advent of professionalism in rugby union in 1995, the team contracted players from various areas. The Eastern Province Elephants is a professional team run by the EPRU, who are also 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 side the Southern Kings, who were also governed by the EPRU, they changed their name to Eastern Province Kings. After the 2010 World Cup, they moved their offices to the new Port Elizabeth Stadium to establish their new headquarters. The team is the primary feeder to the Southern Kings, which also incorporates the Border Bulldogs and the SWD Eagles.[2]

Financial problems and liquidation

After late payments of player salaries throughout most of the 2015 season, it came to a head in November 2015, when the EPRU failed to meet a final deadline imposed by the South African Rugby Players Association. All players' contracts were declared null and void, leading to an exodus of players.[3] A few days later, the South African Rugby Union announced that they would take control of the affiliated Southern Kings Super Rugby franchise,[4] and released an operational plan in early December which indicated that SARU would operate the franchise independently from the Eastern Province Kings.[5]

After a petition handed to president Cheeky Watson, in which players announced their refusal to play for the Eastern Province Kings or Southern Kings until certain issues were sorted out,[6] was not met, the South African Rugby Players' Association submitted a liquidation application in January 2016 against EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd on behalf of eighteen Eastern Province Kings players who were not included in the Southern Kings Super Rugby squad for 2016 and have not received their salaries since September 2015.[7] The Port Elizabeth High Court provisionally liquidated Eastern Province Rugby in March 2016 and imposed a deadline of 10 May 2016 to pay outstanding player salaries, before the liquidation order would being made final.[8]

The Eastern Province Kings submitted details of a rescue package to the High Court in May 2016,[9] which saw the liquidation order being postponed until 4 August 2016. In July 2016, it emerged that the rescue package would not come to fruition and SARU withdrew their appeal against the final liquidation order.[10] On 4 August 2016, the High Court ruled that the Eastern Province Kings should be liquidated.[11]

Within hours of the liquidation being finalised, SARU released a statement that an Eastern Province Kings team funded by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality would continue to participate in the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division.[12]

Stadium

The team was originally based at St George's Park. This was also where the very first South African Rugby and Cricket Tests took place. 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 and the inauguration took place in 1960 with the test between the Springboks and Scotland on 30 April 1960. 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, 2010 Currie Cup First Division and 2012 Currie Cup First Division.

Results by season

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

Currie Cup
Season Pool/group No. of teams Position Play-off result
1988Currie Cup Division A76th
1989Currie Cup Division A88th
1990Currie Cup Division A85th
1991Currie Cup66th
1992Currie Cup66th
1993Currie Cup63rd
1994Currie Cup66th
1995Currie Cup65th
1996Currie Cup Section A75th
1997Currie Cup1414th
1998Currie Cup149th
1999Currie Cup147th
2000Currie Cup Section X75th
Bankfin Cup161stLosing Finalists
2001Currie Cup Section X77th
Bankfin Cup163rd
2002Currie Cup Section Y77th
Bankfin Cup163rd
2003Currie Cup Qualifying86th
First Division63rd
2004First Division65th
2005Premier Division Section X75th
First Division Section X232ndLosing Semi-Finalists
2006First Division64thLosing Finalists
2007First Division62ndLosing Finalists
2008First Division66th
2009First Division64thLosing Semi-Finalists
2010First Division62ndChampions
promotion/relegation22ndFailed to win promotion
2011First Division62ndLosing Finalists
2012First Division81stChampions
promotion/relegation22ndFailed to win promotion
2013First Division82ndLosing Finalists, Promoted
2014Premier Division88th
2015Premier Division87th

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.

Vodacom Cup
Season Pool/group No. of teams Position Play-off result
1998Vodacom Cup Section A74th
1999Vodacom Cup Southern Section74th
2000Vodacom Cup Southern Section73rdLosing Quarter Finalists
2001Vodacom Cup Section X85th
Vodacom Shield162ndLosing Finalists
2002Vodacom Cup Section X76th
Vodacom Shield163rdChampions
2003Vodacom Shield74thLosing Semi-Finalists
2004Vodacom Shield76th
2005Vodacom Cup Section X77th
2006Vodacom Cup1412th
2007Vodacom Cup Southern Section74thLosing Quarter Finalists
2008Vodacom Cup Southern Section76th
2009Vodacom Cup Southern Section77th
2010Vodacom Cup Southern Section86th
2011Vodacom Cup Southern Section85th
2012Vodacom Cup Southern Section83rdLosing Quarter Finalists
2013Vodacom Cup Southern Section83rdLosing Semi-Finalists
2014Vodacom Cup Southern Section85th
2015Vodacom Cup Southern Section85th

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.

Super 10
Season Pool/group No. of teams Position Play-off result
1994Super 10 Pool A55th

Current season

Current squad

The following players were included in the Eastern Province Elephants squad for the 2022 Currie Cup First Division:[13]

Eastern Province Elephants Currie Cup squad

Props

  • South Africa Duncan Du Buisson
  • South Africa Cebo Gidane
  • South Africa Luxolo Koza
  • South Africa Sibusiso Lali
  • South Africa Rob Lyons
  • South Africa Sive Mazosiwe
  • South Africa Siya Nzuzo
  • South Africa Roche van Zyl
  • South Africa Vian Wolmarans

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

  • South Africa Chucky Ismail
  • South Africa Rouche Nel
  • South Africa Sacha Toring

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

  • South Africa Riaan Arends
  • South Africa Rodney Damons
  • South Africa Dayle Nel
  • South Africa Qeutyne Oerson

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain and Bold denotes internationally capped.

Team officials

Coaches
Peter de VilliersHead coach
Sivuyile KobokanaForwards coach
Garrin AugustBacks coach
Thando MananaTeam manager

Records

Eastern Province Elephants records:[14]

Team match records
Record Opposition Venue Season
Biggest winWelwitschiasAdcock Stadium, Port Elizabeth2001110–17
Biggest Currie Cup winGriffonsNelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth201363–7
Heaviest defeatGriquasGriqua Park, Kimberley199812–80
Heaviest Currie Cup defeatNorthern Transvaal19843–65
Highest scoreWelwitschiasAdcock Stadium, Port Elizabeth2001110
Most points concededGriquasGriqua Park, Kimberley199880
Most triesWelwitschiasAdcock Stadium, Port Elizabeth200116
Most Currie Cup triesGriffonsNelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth201111
Player match records
Record Player Opposition Venue Season
Most points by a playerHennie le RouxEastern TransvaalBoet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 199138
Most Currie Cup points by a playerBertus KrugerWestern Transvaal 199629
Most tries by a playerErich KnoetzeStellalandRustenburg 19915
Frikkie CrousWestern TransvaalBoet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 19945
Norman NelsonFalconsBarnard Stadium, Kempton Park 20105
Team season records
Record Matches Season
Most team pointsin 27 matches2012875
Most Currie Cup team pointsin 27 matches2012611
Most team triesin 24 matches2003103
in 27 matches2012103
Most Currie Cup team triesin 18 matches201276
Player season records
Record Player Season
Most points by a playerBertus Kruger1996282
Most Currie Cup points by a playerBrett Hennessey2002153
Most tries by a playerManie van Vuuren199414
Henry Pedro199814
Fabian Juries200314
Most Currie Cup tries by a playerHenry Pedro199813
Luke Watson201213
Player career records
Record Player Seasons
Most appearancesBarry Pinnock1993–2002173
Most pointsGiepie van Zyl1981–19881,126
Most Currie Cup pointsGiepie van Zyl1981–1988755
Most triesNorman Nelson2006–201356

References

  1. "EP's rugby jumbo resurrected". Herald Live. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  2. "Name change for EP Rugby". Sport24. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  3. "Kings facing player exodus?". Rugby365. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  4. "SARU steps in to assist the Southern Kings Super Rugby franchise" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  5. "SA Rugby unveils Southern Kings management team and operational plan" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  6. "EP Kings players hand over petition to Watson". Rugby15. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  7. "Southern Kings unaffected by liquidation application against EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd". South African Rugby Union. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  8. "EP Rugby provisionally liquidated". Herald Live. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  9. "UK firm revealed as Kings' saviour". Herald Live. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  10. "EP Kings business rescue hits a snag". Herald Live. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  11. "It's official: EP Kings liquidated". SA Rugby Magazine. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  12. "EP Kings confirmed in Currie Cup Premier Division with Municipal support" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  13. "Eastern Province Elephants squad". SA Rugby. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. SA Rugby Annual 2014. South African Rugby Union. 2014. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-620-57859-2.
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