- Eastern Province Kings
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Eastern Province Kings 
Full name Eastern Province Kings Union Eastern Province Rugby Union Founded 1888 Region Western half of the Eastern Cape, South Africa Ground(s) Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Capacity: 48,000) Coach(es) Alan Solomons Captain(s) De Wet Barry League(s) Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup 2010 Currie Cup First Division Champions 
Team kitOfficial website www.easternprovincerugby.co.za 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.
Contents
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 intended to be the base of the Southern Kings, which will also incorporate 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.
Super 10 Season Pool/Group No of Teams Position Play-Off Result 1994 Super 10 Pool A 5 5th 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 Premier Division Section X 7 5th First Division2 2006 First Division 6 4th Losing Finalists 2007 First Division 6 2nd Losing Finalists 2008 First Division 6 6th 2009 First Division 6 4th Losing Semi-Finalists 2010 First Division 6 2nd Champions Promotion/Relegation 2 2nd Failed to win promotion. 2011 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.Vodacom Cup Season Pool/Group No of Teams Position Play-Off Result 1998 Vodacom Cup Section A 7 4th 1999 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 7 4th 2000 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 7 3rd Losing Quarter Finalists 2001 Vodacom Cup Section X 8 5th Vodacom Shield1 6 2nd Losing Finalists 2002 Vodacom Cup Section X 7 6th Vodacom Shield1 6 3rd Champions 2003 Vodacom Shield 7 4th Losing Semi-Finalists 2004 Vodacom Shield 7 6th 2005 Vodacom Cup Section X 7 7th 2006 Vodacom Cup 14 12th 2007 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 7 4th Losing Quarter Finalists 2008 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 7 6th 2009 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 7 7th 2010 Vodacom Cup Southern Section 8 6th 2011 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.2011 season
For more details on this topic, see 2011 Eastern Province Kings season.Current Squad
As of 5 November 2011
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
Team Officials
Anele Pamba CEO Sydney Goba Manager Alan Solomons Director of Rugby / Head Coach David Maidza Backline Coach Phil Mack Strength & Conditioning Coach Robbie Kempson Academy Manager / Scrum Coach References
- ^ "Name change for EP Rugby". Sport24.co.za. 2010-07-14. http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/CurrieCup/Name-change-for-EP-Rugby-20100714. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
External links
- Official Site
- Official Facebook Group
- Official Facebook Page
- Eastern Province Kings on sarugby.co.za
- Eastern Province Kings on suparugby.co.za
Currie Cup Premier Teams 2011 Blue Bulls • Free State Cheetahs • Golden Lions • Griquas • Leopards • Natal Sharks • Pumas • Western ProvinceFirst Division Teams 2011 Premier Seasons 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012First Div Seasons Vodacom Cup Teams Blue Bulls • Boland Cavaliers • Border Bulldogs • Eastern Province Kings • Falcons • Free State Cheetahs • Golden Lions • Griffons • Griquas • Leopards • Natal Sharks • Pampas XV • Pumas • SWD Eagles • Welwitschias • Western ProvinceVodacom Cup Competitions 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • Rugby union in South AfricaGoverning body National teams Competitions Super Rugby • Currie Cup • Vodacom Cup • Craven Week • IRB Sevens World Series • South Africa Sevens • Varsity Cup • South Africa at the Rugby World CupRelated articles International playersBacks Coach Categories:- South African rugby union teams
- Sport in Port Elizabeth
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