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This from www.rugby365.com
The protracted contract saga between the Lions and Sharks, over the services of Willem Alberts and Louis Ludik has ended in another costly loss for the Golden Lions Rugby Union.
rugby365.com can reveal that the court on Friday ruled in favour of the Sharks and declared the contracts between the GLRU and the two players null and void.
The GLRU have already signed the release forms and Alberts will feature on the Sharks bench when they start their 2010 Super 14 campaign against the Chiefs in Durban on Saturday.
It leaves the Lions three-and-one in recent legal battles over the services of players – having lost World Cup-winning Springbok Jaque Fourie to the Stormers, Alberts and Ludik to the Sharks – with their only victory scrumhalf JP Joubert, who won his arbitration cases against the Cheetahs.
Friday’s court hearing hinged on three points:
1. Whether the matter was one of urgency…
2. Whether the court had the jurisdiction to hear the case…
3. The validity of the contracts between the Lions and the players…
On all three counts the GLRU lost.
The court determined that it was indeed a matter of urgency, as Alberts was already in the Sharks team for Saturday. Ludik is still sidelined with an injury.
It also determined that it was within the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
And it also ruled against the GLRU, who insisted that the ‘shortcomings’ in their contracts with the two players should be resolved in an arbitration hearing. The court determined that shortcomings in a contract can only go to arbitration when both parties are willing to accept that step. In this case the players were no longer interested in contracts with the Lions and arbitration was no longer an issue.
With the court having ruled against them, the GLRU officials signed the two players’ release forms at the court – with both Alberts and Ludik now officially Sharks.
GREAT NEWS!!!
Friday’s court hearing hinged on three points:
1. Whether the matter was one of urgency…
2. Whether the court had the jurisdiction to hear the case…
3. The validity of the contracts between the Lions and the players…
Seems the Lions were really trying their best. And once again it has been proven that they guy in charge over there either has some REALLY kak legal advice AND/OR (probably and) is as bullheaded as a typical… ag I’ll leave it at that.
love it! Where are those Lions now? I feel very brave
1. Whether the matter was one of urgency…
Are you kidding me? it is through your bullheaded numbskull attitude that this went to court in the 1st place. And you have the cheek to challenge it being urgent!?!?!?!??!?!
You are now confirmed as the worst employer in SA Rugby with nothing more than your own interests at heart and not giving a sh1t about what you do to the people around you.
I hope your balls get infested by the flees of a 1000 camels and your fingernails turn to fishhooks.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) : don’t hold back, dude. Just get it off your chest
@robdylan (Comment 5) :
I won’t bother going onto point 2 and 3.
Awesome
. And here is my official welcome to Ludik and Alberts: Welcome to the Sharks, may you find your time in the Tank is better than any vacation anywhere in the world and remember, ”Black and White, Nothing Else Matters” 
can Alberts play flyhalf?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 6) : @KSA Shark © (Comment 4) :
@robdylan (Comment 8) :
LUDIK can! Ludik and Pienaar working at 10 will be more than good enough for me this season.
Ahahahaha. Too funny.
Kevin de Klerk is a first-class idiot.
With the court having ruled against them, the GLRU officials signed the two players’ release forms at the court – with both Alberts and Ludik now officially Sharks.
Hehehehhe I can just imagine how much that must have hurt.
KRY VIR JULLE!!!!!!!!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 11) : Not De Klerk he inherited this problem BTW Where is Megatron with his/her big mouth now Told you this was gonna happen What have you got to say now?
oh, I love this:
“You want the court to come to your assistance because someone couldn’t set a proper contract?” Davis asked Beckerling.
“The document is vague and better contracts have been produced in South African legal history,” he said.
Apparently the players were listed as analysts. Come on Lions, how embarrasingly unprofessional can you get, and how can you drag this out for so long knowing you are wrong and going to be exposed for your shocking ability to even contemplate thinking of yourselves as a professional business.
What a waste of time. In any business worth their salt the moron who was responsible for this kind of balls up would be sacked.
@McLovin (Comment 16) :
you’re new pic is approved. 
Where’s the fool who said they would be fighting the J Fourie case? Only to make his name truly and utterly ‘gat’.
Then just when you think human intelligence cannot dip any lower they do the same with Alberts & Ludik.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 17) : Phanks oom.
@McLovin (Comment 18) :
and all these guys with the The Fourie, Alberts and Ludik contracts aren’t the same and the Lions will win the Alberts Ludik case.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : Rerigwaar, it makes me fear for the human race sometimes when you think these guy are in positions of authority and influence.
Read somewhere (can’t remember where) that all 3 players mentioned all had exactly the same (to the commas) worded contracts.
Also why would the Sharks, who have a reputation as one of the most professional unions, risk their reputaion if it wasn’t a dead cert that they’d win.
@McLovin (Comment 21) :
Hulle is rerigwaar fucked up.
Just glad it’s all over.
@McLovin (Comment 22) :
Since when have we expected a guy from the senior management at the Lions to make logical decisions.
Our minds boggle as we try and figure out what’s going on and the corks in their minds bobble as the little guy steering it tries to get back on
@KSA Shark © (Comment 23) :
Gaan nou rerigwaar bed toe.
STOOOOOOOOOORMEEEEEEEEERS!!!!!!!!!!
Guys I am stoked hey!!! GO SHARKS!!!
Can someone confirm if the Lions had to pay ALL the legal costs???
@robdylan (Comment 14) :
the little line before that is the telling bit.
Lions advocate Theo Beckerling told Davis (the high court Judge)the union wanted a chance to rectify the contract.
So the twits knew all along that they had shitty contracts.
“Ag Judge we fooked up, please allow us to correct it now” Bwhahahahha Lucky packet Law sales must be thriving up north.
pumpkin hour has arrived for me. Night all.
Go Sharks
good evening KSA
eish manie reyneke has a very dirty egg face tonight
what a fool huh?
@sharks_lover (Comment 30) :
The guys on WTR put up a thread but hardly any comments on there.
I wonder why…
@wpw (Comment 31) :
hehehe boet ill go check it out
i feel sorry for them though , so loyal to a team managed by fools
Manie needs to resign in shame.
Woo hoo….The judge told them what we have been saying..they are stupid and vindictive!
Black and White – All that matters!
Best news in days/weeks/ heck months! Now to foster all our age group loosies and Lambie whith their presence. Would be a huge step up for Lambie to fill Stefs shoes, but Lou will be the go between.
And with Manie going all badmouthing the Sharks in the press, one would wonder what happened to his moral fibre / honour. I mean it’s like JZ or Bill Clinton badmouthing the nation on having affairs. And I dont think Manie even worries about the egg on his face. Its like water from a duck’s back.
PS Rob: just how much money did we lose with this?
Sharks should take legal steps against the Lions, even if it is just to sue them for being dumb, this type of stupidity should be ilegal
Seems it was stalling tactics all along….blerrie inbreds
@FireTheLooser (Comment 38) : if stupidity was illegal, we’d need more jails
@JustPlainSHARK (Comment 37) : not as much as we lost contracting Hernandez, I reckon
@robdylan (Comment 39) : Wouldn’t be enough land to build prisions….
And they just happened to have Alberts’ and Ludiks release forms with them in court, nice, but they obviously knew all along what the outcome was going to be. I wonder why they didnt follow Megatrols sage words and lodge an immediate appeal.
@robdylan (Comment 33) : I agree, he lied to us, and needs to either resign, or come forward with an apology. I never had a lot of time for him, I have none now. That having been said, the Sharks ‘Professional’ management need to take a long hard look at the regulations governing player movement. The next time they poach a player, or attempt to, they might find themselves in hot water, providing the contracts have been written by somebody competent
@Greg (Comment 43) :
From what I have read Sharks administrators have not been implicated in anything untoward by SARU or the leagal people.
Do you know why the Lions crowd just happened to have the release forms with them at the court hearing.
This really was not a great weekend for Lions supporters but it was pleasing to see Ellis Park fuller than its been for a long time
@Salmonoid (Comment 44) : The sharks have been vindicated in this one, the contracts were not up to scratch, and Manie Reyneke must accept full blame for this, and, I believe, do the honourable thing, and at least offer his resignation. However, the first communication from the sharks regarding the players’ availability (or lack thereof) should have been with the union, not the players, or the agent. The regulations are explicit on this one. The sharks also played a player without a clearance certificate – fact, we know this. Yes, GLRU management was incompetent, no arguments on that point, but sharks did not follow regulations. They got away with it, mainly due to GLRU balls up, but also because SARU has it’s head in the sand
Nope, not a great weekend, bottom line, we lost a home game. However, there were good signs, and I am certainly not despondent.
Stormers were apparently tired, after 40 mins of rugby, what are they going to be like after 13 games?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) : if you see what kinda matters got struck off because of being considered not urgent – you will not be so surprised.
so the lions lost 3 and had to let players go.
won one – and cheetahs had to let a player go.
however is drafting these contracts is not doing a good job
@Salmonoid (Comment 44) : probably signing still on Friday was a part of court order. so they had to do it quickly.
@rekinek (Comment 48) :
I presume that is correct, but do you think the Lions were instructed to bring the documentation with them to the hearing. If they were confident of their case they wouldnt have typed up and completed letters of release with them.
@Salmonoid (Comment 49) : i don’t think that they would have brought release forms to court with them. My guess would be that their lawyers drafted it there and then and a guy in authority signed.
I never saw such a release form but can’t think it’s too complicated.