Awakening a sleeping giant and triggering a long-awaited EP rugby revival are key priorities for EP’s new-look Elephants team, loose forward CJ Velleman says.
To achieve their goal of playing in the Currie Cup Premier Division, EP must finish among the top four clubs when the SA Cup kicks off in March.
In their latest quest for success, EP have signed 13 new players, and there could be more in the pipeline.
“I am extremely excited to be back in my hometown,” Velleman said.
“EP is kind of this sleeping giant in terms of rugby, and if we can be part of waking up the giant, it would be absolutely amazing.
“I am contracted full-time by EP at the moment.
“It was coach Allister Coetzee who got me back to Gqeberha.
“We will see how things go towards the end of the season.
“Hopefully if EP get into the Premier Division, I can find my feet here for a lot longer.
“After the liquidation of the Southern Kings and after Covid, there was not much rugby and I ended up teaching for a couple of years before going back to Western Province
“I want to get consistent game time without any injuries.
“The biggest part of being a good rugby player is playing rugby.
“My main goal is to get as much time as possible out on the park and sharpen myself.”
Velleman says he is looking forward to working with EP’s new forwards coach, Matt Proudfoot.
“It is really good having Matt here at EP,” he said.
“A rugby team has a lot of guys to look after, and they are not always the easiest characters to deal with.
“So it’s good to have another strong personality to deal with that.
“Pre-season has been good, and it’s nice to see how the guys are getting along.
“New signing Damon Royle [loose forward, SWD Eagles] has slotted in well with the guys.
“This year it does not feel like a whole mish-mash of new players, so that is positive because it takes years to build a team culture.
“Coach Allister has been pushing hard for us to get our own values and what we will stand for as a team.
“That is essential, but Rome was not built in a day.”
Royle, a former Grey High pupil, says the EP squad are being pushed hard in training.
“It is a competitive environment, and we are working hard,” he said.
“The whole team’s vision is to try get into the Currie Cup, that is where we need to be.
“I am a Gqeberha boy through and through.
“After school I left for Durban and then joined the Eagles.
“I had a chat with coach Allister and then decided to come home.
“I know how much people love rugby here, and we want to get it back to what it was like for me watching the Southern Kings when I was at school.”
Velleman was a Grey High School captain at various youth levels, including the first team in 2012 and 2013.
At the start of 2015, he played in the 2015 Varsity Cup tournament for the NMU Madibaz.
In 2015, he was one of the first 20 players who signed contracts to play for the Southern Kings in the 2016 Super Rugby season.
New players signed by EP: Buhle Nojekwa (prop, Griffons), Hlomla Zondani (prop, SWD Eagles), Kamvelihle Fatyela (hooker, Border), Athi Khetani (lock, flank Griquas), Joshua Paris (lock, Griffons) Armand Grobler (lock, played in France and for Harlequins in Pretoria), CJ Velleman (flank, Western Province), Damon Royle (loose forward, SWD Eagles), Mzwanele Gora (scrumhalf, Griffons), Sachin Toring (scrumhalf, SWD), Maxwell Klaasen (flyhalf, Border), Lwandile Maphuko (utility back, Leopards), Mpho Ntsane (utility back, SWD).
The Herald
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