Mark Alexander confirmed as new SA rugby president

27 October 2016 - 16:25 By Chumani Bambani

SA Rugby (Saru) acting-president and former deputy president‚ Mark Alexander‚ has officially been named as the union's head. Alexander‚ who had been deputy president of Saru since 2007‚ was elected unopposed at a Special General Meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.The new president fills in the vacancy that was left open following the resignation of ex-president Oregan Hoskins in August.Alexander has been Saru's acting president since the resignation of the former boss.The new man will head the rugby governing body until the next elections in 2018.Springboks suffer blow after Jaco Kriel ruled out of tour of EuropeThe Springboks were dealt another blow shortly before their tour to Britain and Italy with the news on Thursday that openside flank Jaco Kriel has been ruled out. Francois Davids‚ who has been a member of the executive council‚ will step into Alexander's former role as deputy president‚ while Valke Rugby Union's president Vivian Lottering will fill the vacancy left open by Davids on the executive council.Alexander admitted that South African rugby has been going through a period of turmoil and he was looking forward to taking SA rugby to greater heights."We need to thank stakeholders and supporters because they stood by us through tough times‚" Alexander said."South African rugby has been going through tough times. But I think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel." The incoming president was part of the recent coaching indaba held in Cape Town recently.The indaba looked at ways of advancing the national team's way of play‚ among other things.The gathering has also left Alexander confident that better days are around the corner for the national side under coach Allister Coetzee."Our coaching indaba was a major breakthrough for us last week. [There was] high-level co-operation from everybody - there were no egos‚" said Alexander."It was an excellent conference - the best two days I've ever spent in sport because we spoke rugby‚ and all we spoke about was the growth of the game. That process starts now‚ but it (results) will not happen overnight." - TMG Digital..

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