Kevin de Klerk with Neville Jardine
Kevin de Klerk, outgoing president of the GLRU, congratulates Neville Jardine, the newly elected president.

Mr Neville Jardine has been appointed as the newly elected president following the resignation of former Golden Lions Rugby Union president Kevin de Klerk in August 2018.

De Klerk also was known as the man credited for turning the Lions Rugby Union’s fortunes around, has hung up his boots after 50 years of service to the union. The 68-year-old president of the union has retired to spend more time with his family and at his family business.

De Klerk is a former Springbok who represented South Africa on 13 occasions since his debut on 8 June 1974. After his playing days with the Springboks and what was then called Transvaal, De Klerk went into administration where he oversaw a difficult time during the Unions history.

Newly elected president Jardine thanked the Lions rugby fraternity for their support after being elected.

He further remarked: “It is an honour to serve the Lions as president. After 25 years on the Chairmans’ Council and serving as Deputy President since 2009, I feel ready to take on this new role. I look forward to working with all the clubs to strengthen club rugby. Altmann is a very important financial investor in the company and I look forward to working with him and his team to strengthen our financial position in the coming years,”

Neville Jardine is the son of the late Bill Jardine who was the South African Rugby Union convenor of selectors and Springbok selector for the 1995 World Cup. He comes from a family with a strong rugby heritage and has served rugby as a player, referee and administrator for more than 40 years. He currently works for a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company.

The new president has a BIG pair of boots to fill both literally as well as the enormity of the responsibility bestowed on him.

 

Story by: JAY J BOTES vir Groot Fm90.5 #GROOTfmSport  #JAYJBOTES