Only one candidate meets requirements for Kings job
REACTION: The Southern Kings Board have issued a statement following reports over the weekend suggesting that Peter de Villiers was out of the race for the head coaching job because he does not have the necessary qualifications.
It was reported that De Villiers was not in possession of a Level Three coaching certificate – despite the fact that he was the coach of the South African national side for four years.
De Villiers has since responded to the reports by calling it "lies"
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Southern Kings response below...
"The ISUZU Southern Kings Board has noticed the widespread and largely inaccurate speculations in the media regarding the ongoing process of appointing a new Head Coach for the franchise," said a statement from the franchise.
"We can confirm that proceedings continue to progress in an orderly, confidential and professional manner.
"An interviewing panel was appointed to interview candidates for the Head Coach position and to make recommendations to the ISUZU Southern Kings Board.
"While the job advertisement for the vacant position called for a candidate with a World Rugby Level 3 qualification, as per minimum requirement for all elite coaches, and experience at the highest level, it was discovered that only one of the candidates that were interviewed had the required qualifications.
"Notwithstanding the above, following the completion of the process of interviews, the interviewing panel ranked the candidates in terms of their technical capacity for the job.
"We can confirm that the interviewing panel has sent their scores and rankings to the Chairman of the Board, Mr Loyiso Dotwana, who intends to present these recommendations at the next Board meeting before a final decision is made.
"An official announcement will be made at the appropriate time once all contractual negotiations have been completed.
"As previously stated, we continue to treat the entire process with strict confidentiality and sensitivity."