Despite the fact that everyone seems to have lost interest, thanks to the ridiculous format that only the most ardent of fans understand, Super Rugby is still ticking along.

With just over two weeks left to kick-off, and two warm-up matches between the South African sides at Cape Town Stadium this Sunday, the Stormers players, along with their sponsor, are considering a revolt.

It’s reported that Siya Kolisi and the players held an “emergency meeting” on Sunday, headed by the skipper, where they discussed the very unpopular claims that the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) were planning to replace director of rugby Gert Smal with Paul Treu.

Treu is apparently a very unpopular man amongst the team, with this from Sport24:

Players were angered by a claim from a source quoted as a Treu supporter in the Rapport story that it was only some individuals within the team and the wider Stormers management who have a problem with Treu, which according to them is not the case.

At the heart of the players’ unhappiness is the fact that they were thoroughly questioned in the investigation that was conducted by an independent law firm, Bowmans, at the request of WP late last year after Treu [below] had accused the union of discrimination and treating him badly.

The investigation found overwhelmingly that there was no fault and no discrimination on WP’s part and players are upset that the only ramification for Treu has been that he has been shifted into a new role as performance director at the union, which they see as potentially creating a platform for him to move into the directorship.

Some of the players’ agents have confirmed that the players are so angry with the WPRU’s conduct, that they have not ruled out a strike.

That’s not all, though, because now the union is facing further backlash from sponsors, who were reportedly approached by the players and asked to escalate pressure.

Here’s the Citizen:

The WPRU, which is in huge financial distress, also faces the added headache of main sponsor DHL entering into the fray.

The courier giant has allegedly given the union an ultimatum to get rid of Treu or they’ll withdraw their sponsorship.

Whilst the union finally rid itself of former president Thelo Wakefield, in a move that was years overdue, new WP president Zelt Marais hasn’t endeared himself to the players in his so far short tenure:

There has been a series of unabated sideshows off the field throughout the Stormers’ preparation for the new season, starting with new president Marais’ [below] pre-election assertion that if he took office Stormers personnel could expect 25% salary cuts.

Of course it was an impractical suggestion and Marais has subsequently back-tracked. But indications that he met with Treu before the election and that a Paarl-based faction of club administrators, to which Marais was aligned, campaigned for Smal to be replaced (initially by former Bok coach Peter de Villiers), is known to have further angered Stormers players.

Please, anyone but Peter de Villiers. Nobody deserves that punishment twice.

Those in the know have described the next few days as a watershed moment for the union, with many of the union’s star players out of contract in the near future.

This has led to fears of a mass exodus after the World Cup, which is usually the case at the best of times.

The life and times of a Western Province and Springbok rugby supporter, hey?

[sources:sport24&citizen]