Western Province & Stormers raging over Eben Etzebeth’s Toulon move

Hot on the heels of his Toulon deal confirmation yesterday, Western Province and the Stormers are not pleased with Toulon and their dealings with Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth's move to the French giants after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. 

Speaking to media at Newlands on Friday, WP CEO Paul Zacks says his organisation only found out about the move via the media.

"We are going to be writing a letter to SA Rugby because at the end of the day it’s a tripartite agreement and SA Rugby and Western Province are parties as well as the player to that contract," Zacks said.

"The fact is that there are contractual commitments in place with the individuals, and I suppose the disappointing part is that protocol wasn’t followed. But I’m not sure it’s the player’s fault, to be honest," he added.

"In terms of the Springboks and a lot of the players going forward, I think we all know that there is always a lot of movement of players post a World Cup to greener pastures, so to speak.

"That is not unexpected, I think it’s just the way we manage the communication is key and following protocol and having respect for the parties."

Etzebeth's contract with WP Rugby and SA Rugby is due to run out at the end of 2019, which means both governing bodies should have been informed about and included in the negotiation discussions.

Franco Mostert, who will make his first start for Gloucester on Friday night, had a similar dispute, with the Lions also fighting the legality of their former player’s contract with the English club.