There is nothing like facing challenges square on with a good attitude. Just ask the EP Kings‚ who open their Currie Cup premier division account this weekend. EP have had a tough week putting a team together and contracting a squad of players to participate in the tournament‚ but it’s all in a day’s work for the under pressure union. Chief executive Charl Crous and coach Barend Pieterse spent most of last weekend finding players to take on Boland on Friday.And even when that mission was accomplished‚ Crous had other headaches to deal with. Whether the EP Kings will receive the full R20m bailout promised to them by outgoing Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor Danny Jordaan is still unclear‚ but Crous wasn’t concerned about that – at least not this week. “I’m dealing with the mechanics of trying to put a team out‚ I’m not focused on the bailout‚” Crous said. “Just trying to arrange accommodation for 25 odd players at short notice with a tight budget is a logistical nightmare. “But we have established very good relationships with furnished accommodation places during Super Rugby when we had so many loan players."We have been able to use them again at short notice and the players are being well looked after.” The Kings missed last week’s scheduled match against Griquas after the union was put into liquidation and by the time the NMB came forward with the money‚ it was too late to put a team together. But Pieterse and Crous have managed to gather players from all around the country – Sampie Mastriet and Ricky Schroeder from the Lions‚ Mike Willemse from Western Province and Waylon Murray among them – and will at least field a team. Experienced prop Schalk Ferreira will lead the Kings at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday. Playing Boland is also a more straightforward assignment first up for the Kings as opposed to facing the Golden Lions or Blue Bulls. Pieterse was upbeat. “I do think it counts in our favour that no-one knows much about us‚” Pieterse said. “Boland have some strong ball carriers and a big forward pack and we are expecting them to take us on up front‚ so it is important for us to focus on slowing their momentum‚” he said. Pieterse said the players were still getting to know each other and the situation was not ideal‚ but said everyone was putting in the time to get to know the various plays.“We are where we are at the moment and there is no turning back‚” he said The Sharks are up against Griquas in Friday’s late game and coach Robert du Preez has handed a first start to promising flyhalf Inny Radebe and moved Curwin Bosch to fullback. The Sharks opened their account with a solid 33-10 win over the Pumas in Nelspruit and are hoping to continue that momentum into the Griquas clash. “We’ve made a good start to the competition‚ but obviously there are things to work on‚” Sharks No 8 Phillip van der Walt said. “Unlike last year when we lost that fixture (also in the opening round against the Pumas in Nelspruit)‚ we can build on this each week. Getting the competition off with a win sets the tone nicely‚ better than last year obviously and now we have a base to build on.”..