The Blue Bulls have apparently successfully negotiated the release of Bjorn Basson from his contract with Griquas and the Cheetahs Super Rugby franchise and the Currie Cup’s leading try scorer will join up with the Pretoria team on 1 November.
Basson, whose Griquas deal still has a year to run, will move to Loftus after the Bulls agreed a transfer fee with his union. This development means that the Bulls will no longer be interested in securing the services of Sharks winger JP Pietersen, whose contract expires at the end of October. The Lions and possibly also Western Province are understood to still be keen to lure Pietersen away from Durban; his salary demands were too high for the Bulls, though, who saw better value in Basson.
Speaking of transfer fees, it’s quite interesting that the Cheetahs (one of the parties who held at least some of Basson’s contract) have been prepared to accept one in this case, yet refuse to release winger Lionel Mapoe to the Sharks on a similar basis. While the Bulls will now no longer be after Mapoe either, the player is still very much in the Sharks plans and Cheetahs CEO Harold Verster will now look very silly indeed if he continues to ignore the Sharks’ offer of a fair transfer fee for the player, who refuses to return to Bloemfontein, citing “irreconcilable difference” with his former employer.
Mapoe’s beef with Verster is that he is being held to a contract signed as a naive junior, paying somewhere south of R100k a year, when his true market value is around 10 times that amount. The case will be heard in the Bloemfontein High Court on Thursday.
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Western Province, seriously?
Mmmm does this mean one of these days that Vacuum Cleaner is gonna be big in Japan as well?!
Can`t wait! 😈
Rob,
Agree with you here. If Cheetahs don’t agree to a transfer fee for Mapoe, they sure going to look out of sorts now after Basson was as released early from his contract, after Bulls negotiated a transfer fee for Basson.
Feel for Mapoe now. Hope Cheetahs can just accept the transfer fee cause Mapoe does not want to play for them. What is the use of not allowing him to play for Sharks? Cheetahs would get some much needed money as well.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) : did not make sense to me either
Just hope Sharks can keep JPP too. Going to need much bigger squads for next year.
I hope the lions can now step up the chase for JPP . lots of people will disagree with me but i think w need the experience for the super 15
Maybe the Bulls can simply negotiate better than Stroolsie.
@rhineshark (Comment 7) : barend and wynie show!!
I wish The Sharks would look more to homegrown talent. The Sharks Academy is churning out very little as far as I can see.
I remember an interview with JP last year where he was asked if he’d ever consider playing for WP, he burst out laughing and said never.
The way he said it made me pray that he never ever does make the move.
Good one JP. It’s like the Twilight Zone in Brokeback Mountain Goat country for rugby players. The only player that seemed to excel was Watson.
I am convinced Habana would have thrived at The Sharks. He made a big oops by going to Province.
Best news I’ve read in ages, I don’t think JP will leave Durban. I don’t understand why Province is tracking him, they recently renewed Aplon’s contract, signed Habana a year ago and have Jantjies as their fullback. Them pursuing JPP boils down to greed. If WP does manage to lure JPP to the Cape, we need to go after JJ Engelbrecht, he is going to be a great (hopefully injuries won’t deny him of that).
Let’s hope that part of the Griquas and Free State agreement contains skills transfer on how the professional sporting world operates, I hope Verster was taking notes. Who am I kidding? This is Verster we are talking about here; he will want a similar transfer fee (R2m) for Mapoe although the circumstances are totally different.
They’ll also would need to pay me a akkies-huis full of money to lure me to the Bulls – if i was a player.. 😆
@Pink Ice (Comment 13) : 😉 😆
@GreatSharksays (Comment 12) : Sharks must pay them what they want and get it over with. But the big question is will Cheetahs accept that transfer fee?
Really hope after Thursday it is all settled and Mapoe can start playing for the Sharks.
@Pink Ice (Comment 13) : well I think it is more win win for Basson. He gets to leave the groot gat and doesn’t have to play for the Cheetahs in the Super 14 😆
On another note I saw that the Bulls were interested in Naas Olivier too.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 12) : I struggle to believe that the Bulls payed R2m for Basson…
@lostfish (Comment 16) :
he’s gonna miss “Star of the West”!!! (Its the oldest Pub) still with the horse railing outside etc! 😆
@lostfish (Comment 17) :
Apparently not…
@lostfish (Comment 17) : so the Bulls DO actually need another flyhalf…
@Pink Ice (Comment 19) : I saw it on keo so it has to be true…
I hope the Sharks took notice about how negotiations SHOULD be done. Short sweet and no fuss.
@lostfish (Comment 21) :
Ludeke denied it in the news…
@ Rob (Comment 18)
Believe it Rob, where do you think Verster got the figure of more than R1.5m?? At the time the Bulls approached Griquas, FS was debating accepting R800K and when he saw the figure on the table he got excited. Verster is comparing apples with pineapples; he forgets that Basson is a Springbok and recently renewed his contract with Griquas. Mapoe has one year left on his junior contract.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 12) : AGreed 😆
Not to sound like a know it all, but I predicted this when Habana moved to WP 😛
Beef Basson up with a bit of Habana-esque upper body strength and he’ll be just as good, if not better, than Habs.
That’s the thing about WP; they could have done that themselves – Basson’s potential was there for all to see. But instead of developing the raw talent, they purchase the ready-made option at great expense and great disruption to his union at the time. They get it right sometimes, a la Juan de Jongh, but even his development keeps being pushed back steadily. That said, their backline for next year scares me…
@GreatSharksays (Comment 12) :
We don’t know if WP are really interested in JP.
A few months ago there were stories about Rory moving to WP only to be denied by Allister Coetzee.
I dont trust the media at all.
I’m not a lawyer, but don’t you think the Cheetahs have shot themselves in the foot? They’ve set a precedent now by accepting a transfer fee for another winger and the transfer fee couldn’t fee as high as the fee they reportedly want for Mapoe (more than R1 mil).
The High Court might decide to dismiss their case, order them to sign the transfer documents and make the Cheetahs pay for the legal costs after accepting a reasonable transfer fee for Mapoe.
Don’t know if I’m right, but hell there must be a solution.
I think it is a great career move for Basson. He is going to love chasing bombs from FDP and Morne.. Bjorn is magic in the air. He would have been a great buy for the Lions. Surprised they didn’t bid for him.
@Oubaas2009 (Comment 29) : they did, so did WP and according to one story, so did the Sharks which I’m not so sure about
and why would they release Mapoe – good player at a discount 🙄
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 10) : 😆
@Puma (Comment 15) : i don’tthink so. mapoe is not a priceless type of a player.
@Butchie34 (Comment 28) : not necessarily, it would just be one of the factors to consider. my bet would be that their case is lost because of not forcing the player to work for somebody he does not want to.
see Sharks, this is how it is done, by consumate PROFESSIONALS! You don’t go behind the union to lure the player and go around contesting their contracts in arbitration courts! You sit down and play open cards, bloody agents!
Straeuli and van Zyl botched the Mapoe move by trying to be sly, bunch of [email protected]!
@Megatron (Comment 35) : Thats what I said just not in such a colourfull manner 😉
@Megatron (Comment 35) : meg man you back !where you been? ,its not the same here without you.Were you still trying to figure out why a team in blue shirts were calling themselves the ep kings,but i got to admit they played well and i think Dumond was custom made for you! please enlighten me with one of your learned and always entertaining comments.
The Bulls are really chuffed with this acquisition. I would be too. 🙁
Back to the JPP issue. If he was to expensive for the Bulls, and they paid R2mil transfer fee for Basson as suggested here, then how are the Sharks going to manage to meet JPP’s demands?
I still think that the Sharks are eager to get the Mapoe deal over and done with before JPP’s contract expires in order to tell JPP: ” Listen mate, we DO have Mapoe. You not in a position to demand that much anymore.” JPP, might want to use the Sharks vulnerability at wing as a card to get paid what he is asking for. And there i said yesterday that he might be more honourable than others. This ALL just adds to speculation. Time will tell. This Basson signing did however happen faster than i expected.
Vester is playing hard ball!
Storm brews over Basson
Gerdie Karstens
Kimberley – The ink has not yet dried on
the Blue Bulls contract of Griquas and
Springbok wing Bjorn Basson and already
there have been major consequences for
the Griqualand West Rugby Union (GWRU).
It is believed that they did not consult
Super 15 partners Free State and the
Griffons in the decision to make Basson
available to the Bulls.
The Cheetahs will now be seeking legal
advice to determine whether the GWRU had
disregarded the policy for the transfer of
Super 14 players that had been signed by
all three provinces.
If that has happened, legal steps may be
taken against Griquas and in an extreme
scenario his contract with the Blue Bulls
may even be voided.
Basson is due to report for duty in Pretoria
on November 1 once he has completed his
Currie Cup duties with Griquas.
Cheetahs managing director Harold Verster
was in a tele-conference with Griquas and
the Griffons on Tuesday morning in which
Basson ’s move was discussed in depth.
The Cheetahs paid 60% of Basson’s Super
14 salary.
“In light of what has happened, the
Cheetahs’ executive committee gave
approval for us to seek legal advice on the
matter, ” said Verster.
“As soon as we have received the
necessary recommendations there will be a
special directors meeting where the
findings, and the consequences thereof,
will be discussed, ” said Verster.
The Cheetahs are currently locked in a legal
battle with the Sharks about the services of
another wing, Lionel Mapoe.
The loss of Basson will be another setback
for the Cheetahs ahead of next year ’s Super
15.
“Bjorn is one of the Cheetahs’ top players.
We are making every attempt to keep our
star players in the region. We have to
protect our interests, ” said Verster.
Griquas chief executive Arni van Rooyen
did not want to comment.
@Megatron (Comment 40) : So the transfer isn’t going as smoothly as was reported.
@Megatron (Comment 40) : sharks should have a go at signing sarel pretorius. it will be a nice little kick in farstar’s face. even if we only sign him for s15 duty and release him to the griquas for cc.
Jeez, but Verster is a tool! He’s rapidly approaching Manie Reynecke’s lofty standards in that regard
What say do the Cheetahs have over whether Bjorn Basson leaves Griquas, he is contracted to Griquas. Unless they have Super 14 contracts.
Free sstate rugby circus,have fs and ep possibly changed position etc??
KEO…………………….with a pinch of salt maybe???……………..but it is harold they are talking about…………………. so maybe its true………………………….
Cheetahs want to keep Basson
The Cheetahs’ Super Rugby franchise may take legal action against the Griqualand West Rugby Union after the latter failed to consult with them before allowing Bok wing Bjorn Basson to join the Blue Bulls.
‘In light of what has happened, the Cheetahs’ executive committee gave approval for us to seek legal advice on the matter,’ franchise MD Harold Verster told Sport24. ‘As soon as we have received the necessary recommendations there will be a special directors meeting where the findings, and the consequences thereof, will be discussed.’
sorry, bit late here……….. 😉
😆 😆 yip, it seems like this transfer was done by consumate professionals… 😉 now, we must welcome the bulls to the harold verster party. my best friends father has got good contacts up in bloem, and even as a cheetah supporter, he blamed verster the other day for fs not managing their funds correctly. according to him fs is the only union of the big 5 that has got a specific outdated top management structure.
i agree on the fact that the sharks did not deal well with this mapoe saga, but geez, verster could have had a pretty good financial gain.
Have you seen on News24 Vester is now wanting to take Griqas to court for allowing Basson to go to the Bulls and whant to void the deal 😆 is Verster smoking something that is not agreeing with him?
@ruggabugga (Comment 45) : how’s the fishing expedition going? 😉