The
Eastern Province Kings are a
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team that participates in the annual
Currie CupThe Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
and
Vodacom CupThe Vodacom Cup is an annual rugby union competition in South Africa which is contested between February and May. The cup is the third most prestigious competition in rugby union in South Africa, behind Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. It runs at roughly the same time as Super Rugby and serves as an...
tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU or EP Rugby). The team represents the Western half of the
Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
province, and they play their home games at the
Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumNelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 48,000-seater stadium in Port Elizabeth.The five-tier, R2 billion Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It regularly hosts...
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 KingsThe Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
, they changed their name to Eastern Province Kings.
The union is the base of the
Southern KingsThe Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
, which also incorporates the and the .
Stadium
The team was originally based at
St George's ParkSt George's Park is a multi-use park in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The park is the oldest park in Port Elizabeth and most commonly associated with the St George's Oval cricket grounds located within the park.-Features:...
. They shared the ground with the
Eastern Province cricket teamEastern Province cricket team is the team representing the Eastern Province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa.-Honours:* Currie Cup - 1988–89, 1991–92; shared - 1989–90* Standard Bank Cup - 1989–90, 1991–92...
.
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 StadiumNelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 48,000-seater stadium in Port Elizabeth.The five-tier, R2 billion Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It regularly hosts...
.
Honours
The team's major tournament wins include the 2002 Vodacom Shield and
2010 Currie Cup First DivisionThe 2010 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 16 July through to 15 October 2010. The tournament is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces.-Regular season and...
.
Results by season
The table below indicates the Kings' recent finishes. This includes games played as Eastern Province, Eastern Province Kings and Mighty Elephants.
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|
| Super 10 |
| Season |
Pool/Group |
No of Teams |
Position |
Play-Off Result |
| 1994 |
Super 10 Pool A |
5 |
5th |
|
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|
| Currie Cup |
| Season |
Pool/Group |
No of Teams |
Position |
Play-Off Result |
| 1992 |
Currie Cup |
6 |
6th |
|
| 1993 |
Currie Cup |
6 |
3rd |
|
| 1994 |
Currie Cup |
6 |
6th |
|
| 1995 |
Currie Cup |
6 |
6th |
|
| 1996 |
Currie Cup Section A |
7 |
5th |
|
| 1997 |
Currie Cup |
14 |
14th |
|
| 1998 |
Currie Cup |
14 |
9th |
|
| 1999 |
Currie Cup |
14 |
7th |
|
| 2000 |
Currie Cup Section X |
7 |
5th |
|
| Bankfin Cup1 |
6 |
1st |
Losing Finalists |
| 2001 |
Currie Cup Section X |
7 |
7th |
|
| Bankfin Cup1 |
6 |
3rd |
|
| 2002 |
Currie Cup Section Y |
7 |
7th |
|
| Bankfin Cup1 |
6 |
3rd |
|
| 2003 |
Currie Cup Qualifying |
|
|
|
| First Division |
|
|
|
| 2004 |
Currie Cup Qualifying |
|
|
|
| First Division |
|
|
|
| 2005 The 2005 ABSA Currie Cup was a South African domestic rugby union tournament that took place from late August to late October 2005. In a rematch of the previous year's final, the Free State Cheetahs reversed the result, coming from behind to defeat the Blue Bulls 29–25 and win their first...
|
Premier Division Section X |
7 |
5th |
|
| First Division2 |
|
|
|
| 2006 |
First Division |
6 |
4th |
Losing Finalists |
| 2007 |
First Division |
6 |
2nd |
Losing Finalists |
2008The 2008 Absa Currie Cup First Division season was contested from 27 June through to 10 October. The Currie Cup is an annual domestic competition for provincial rugby union teams in South Africa.-History:...
|
First Division |
6 |
6th |
|
2009The 2009 Absa Currie Cup First Division season was contested from 11 July through to 16 October. The Currie Cup is an annual domestic competition for provincial rugby union teams in South Africa....
|
First Division |
6 |
4th |
Losing Semi-Finalists |
| 2010 The 2010 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 16 July through to 15 October 2010. The tournament is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces.-Regular season and...
|
First Division |
6 |
2nd |
Champions |
| Promotion/Relegation |
2 |
2nd |
Failed to win promotion. |
| 2011 -Changes from 2010:*None, no teams were promoted or relegated.-Team Listing:-Fixtures and results:* Fixtures are subject to change.* All times are South African .-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:...
|
First Division |
6 |
2nd |
Losing Finalists |
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.
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| Vodacom Cup |
| Season |
Pool/Group |
No of Teams |
Position |
Play-Off Result |
| 1998 -Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 1998 Vodacom Cup competition:-Section A:-Section B:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:-Round Seven:-Round Eight:...
|
Vodacom Cup Section A |
7 |
4th |
|
| 1999 -Changes from 1998:*The joined the competition.*Section A was renamed Southern Section and Section B was renamed Northern Section.*The moved from Section B to the Southern Section...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
7 |
4th |
|
| 2000 -Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2000 Vodacom Cup competition:-Northern Section:-Southern Section:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:-Round Seven:...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
7 |
3rd |
Losing Quarter Finalists |
| 2001 -Changes from 2000:*The Northern and Southern Sections were scrapped and replaced with two sections of equal strength - Sections X and Y.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2001 Vodacom Cup competition:-Section X:-Section Y:-Round One:...
|
Vodacom Cup Section X |
8 |
5th |
|
| Vodacom Shield1 |
6 |
2nd |
Losing Finalists |
| 2002 -Changes from 2001:*The withdrew from the competition.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2002 Vodacom Cup competition:-Section X:-Section Y:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:...
|
Vodacom Cup Section X |
7 |
6th |
|
| Vodacom Shield1 |
6 |
3rd |
Champions |
| 2003 -Changes from 2002:*For the 2003 season, the Vodacom Cup competition was changed once more - both the main Vodacom Cup competition and the secondary Vodacom Shield competition consisted of 7 teams.-Team Listing:...
|
Vodacom Shield |
7 |
4th |
Losing Semi-Finalists |
| 2004 -Changes from 2003: got relegated from the Vodacom Cup to the Vodacom Shield. got promoted from the Vodacom Shield to the Vodacom Cup.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2004 Vodacom Cup competitions:-Table:-Round One:-Round Two:...
|
Vodacom Shield |
7 |
6th |
|
| 2005 -Changes from 2004:*The Vodacom Shield competition was scrapped and teams were divided into two equally strength groups - Section X and Section Y.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2005 Vodacom Cup competition:-Section X:-Section Y:...
|
Vodacom Cup Section X |
7 |
7th |
|
| 2006 -Changes from 2005:*The two sections were scrapped and all teams were played in one single pool.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2006 Vodacom Cup competitions:-Tables:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:...
|
Vodacom Cup |
14 |
12th |
|
| 2007 -Changes from 2006:*The single pool was scrapped and all teams were geographically divided into two sections.-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2007 Vodacom Cup competition:-Northern Section:-Southern Section:-Round One:...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
7 |
4th |
Losing Quarter Finalists |
| 2008 -Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2008 Vodacom Cup competition:-Northern Section:-Southern Section:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
7 |
6th |
|
| 2009 |
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
7 |
7th |
|
| 2010 The 2010 Vodacom Cup was contested from 26 February to 7 May. The 2010 Vodacom Cup is the 13th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, as well as two invitational...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
8 |
6th |
|
| 2011 -Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:...
|
Vodacom Cup Southern Section |
8 |
5th |
|
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
Team Officials
| Anele Pamba |
CEO |
| Sydney Goba |
Manager |
| Alan Solomons Alan Solomons is a rugby union coach, currently the Director of Rugby and Head Coach at in the Currie Cup....
|
Director of Rugby / Head Coach |
| David Maidza |
Backline Coach |
| Phil Mack |
Strength & Conditioning Coach |
| Robbie Kempson |
Academy Manager / Scrum Coach |
External links