There is no clarity on how the Kings will be funded and how many players will be contracted next year following their difficult 2016 Super Rugby campaign‚ which came to an end last Saturday. The Kings were unsurprisingly one of the whipping boys of the competition.But against a backdrop of players’ wages not being paid by the Eastern Province Rugby Union in the months leading up to Super Rugby 2016‚ which resulted in SA Rugby stepping in to take over the running of the franchise only six weeks before the tournament began‚ the Kings showed great courage. Coach Deon Davids is unsure of the future‚ but he was proud of all players who donned a Kings jersey in 2016. “My situation is that I’m contracted for next year’s Super Rugby but at this moment I have no information about the way forward for the franchise‚” Davids said. “It’s a difficult situation because half the squad are leaving so there won’t be much continuity next year. We will lose experience and some combinations and it’s difficult to give clear answers about what the future holds. "We have not contracted any players for next year because we have no clarity on finances. “So we are likely to start from scratch again next season‚ but at least there will be a full pre-season unlike this year when we started a few weeks before the tournament began.” Kings looking for maiden victoryThe EP Kings will be looking for greater control from the outset as they chase their first victory in the Currie Cup premier rugby division when they host the Blue Bulls in Port Elizabeth on Friday. A magistrate provisionally liquidated the Eastern Province Rugby Union on May 10.But a UK-based consortium has come forward with a proposed R100m bailout of the cash-strapped union‚ although that deal is still under investigation. Auditing firm KPMG are currently busy with a due diligence report of the UK company called Integrated Sport. There might be some hope for the Kings and they are guaranteed to be in Super Rugby in 2017‚ even if it means SA Rugby continue the running of the franchise for another season. Captain Steven Sykes‚ one of the players leaving‚ preferred to focus on the positive aspects of the trying season. “In the beginning we had to put emotions aside and not focus on the off-the-field problems‚” Sykes said.“But it was difficult because a lot of our mates didn’t get contracts. “When we came together we made a decision to focus on the future and not dwell on the past. We would leave that to higher powers to sort out because we had enough problems on the field to worry about. Kings can't say which Sharks bit themIn the midst of countless adjectives available in the various thesauri, gloriously inept is the best way to describe the Kings' mind-numbingly abject display yesterday evening. “We never had it easy from the start‚ but we aren’t going to start complaining about it now. We all enjoyed a full Super Rugby season and in some games we were competitive until the 70th minute. “We had soft moments where the guys didn’t have enough belief that they could win games. "Maybe we lacked some talent but never commitment and several players such as Lukhanyo Am and Edgar Marutlulle really put up their hands. “For those guys‚ getting exposure in Super Rugby and playing against the best players in the world‚ was brilliant for them. I tip my cap to every Kings player who pulled a jersey over his head this season.” - TMG Digital..