It was a sleepless weekend in Port Elizabeth as coach EP Kings coach Barend Pieterse along with Southern Kings chief executive Charl Crous scoured the country for players. Crous has confirmed that the EP Kings will start their Currie Cup premier division campaign against the Boland Cavaliers this weekend regardless of other issues. Last Friday the EP Kings received a R20m injection from the ANC-led Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Mayor Danny Jordaan. That slush fund might not make it to the EP Kings though‚ after Democratic Alliance NMB Mayor-elect Athol Trollip questioned the validity of the deal‚ coming just hours before the ANC lost the city in local governmental elections. "How can the outgoing mayor be making decisions‚ and deals on the quiet with people‚ when council hasn't even endorsed it? Trollip asked in a speech at the weekend. "Obviously this was very premature and irregular and we will have to relook at it‚" he said. "There will be a new council here and the new council will make decisions on what we do about rugby.” But Trollop did acknowledge that the city needed a professional rugby team. "I believe that we need a rugby team in the Eastern Province. Eastern Province is renowned for rugby‚ but it's just been in the doldrums for so long because it has been mal-administered. "People like [EP Rugby Union President] Cheeky Watson have destroyed EP Rugby‚ and he was a member of the ANC‚ and he did that under the ANC’s watch. We want to bring back proper sports administration‚ and if we can do that‚ we can support them.” Crous confirmed that players reported for training on Monday with more scheduled to arrive in the coming days. “We have 29 players here today (Monday) and more arriving tomorrow and the guys are busy‚” Crous told TMG.“Unit sessions and field sessions are taking place today (Monday) and during the rest of the week there will be more training. “What I’ve heard of Mr Trollip’s speech is that he wants a professional team here but that they are first going to investigate the money paid to EP and rightfully so."He needs to understand the situation. But that deal was done with SA Rugby and the city and it’s not the space I’m currently operating in. “We will have a squad for the Currie Cup. It’s a group of players who we have quickly assembled from other provinces – from a few guys still here after the Southern Kings’ Super Rugby campaign to Varsity Cup players. “It’s been a busy weekend‚ I’ve hardly slept. Myself‚ head coach Barend Pieterse and assistant coach Vuyo Sanqa went into a room on Friday and got cracking. We called a number of provinces and agents. “Barend told the squad this morning that what we’ve accomplished in three days – to be here‚ to have a weekly schedule and have all our playbooks in place – is nothing short of a miracle‚ so the players must believe that anything is possible."There is a management team and a squad and we will be ready to go.” It’s not a list of famous names that Crous has managed to recruit‚ but at least he has a squad. Schalk Ferreira‚ Cornel Hess‚ Martin Bezhuidenhout and Thys Basson remain from Super Rugby. Hooker Mikey Willemse from Western Province and centre Waylon Murray‚ prop Barend Potgieter and flank Christian du Bruin from the Sharks have all arrived. Bulls’ flyhalf Kobus Marais has joined‚ as have the Lions duo of wing Sampie Mastriet and scrumhalf Ricky Schroeder. And scrumhalf Johan Tromp and centre JC Greyling‚ who both played for Namibia at the Rugby World Cup‚ have also come to PE. “What was amazing this morning when the guys stood up and introduced themselves and even when they were included on a group messaging system over the weekend there was already positive banter on the group‚” Crous said. “There is an excitement and the players see it as a huge opportunity and a unique challenge. It’s a great opportunity for these players to lay claim to a Super Rugby contract.”..