LATEST: Lions coach leaves after ‘spy-gate’ drama

*This is an updated article on the latest twist in the Lions camp

Off-field issues have plagued the Lions franchise in recent times, and in the latest story to hit the headlines earlier this month, Sunday newspaper Rapport featured an article that suggested forwards coach Albert van den Berg was at odds with the union’s technical analyst Chris Venter, who has been accused of recording private conversations.

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Venter, who is responsible for preparing the coaches’ laptops before matches, allegedly took pictures of a WhatsApp conversation between Van den Berg and an agent, as he suspected the former Bok lock was responsible for leaking information to the media.

The strange accusations came after a MyPlayers survey that allegedly revealed members of the coaching staff were not highly regarded in the team camp, and Venter apparently believed Van den Berg was the source of the leak.

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The former Springbok forward is said to have served Venter with legal papers in his personal capacity, while he has now officially left his job at the Lions.

“On behalf of our chairman, Mr Altmann Allers and the LRC board, we would like to thank Albert for his contribution to the team over the past two seasons,” Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli said in a statement. “He joined us at time when the franchise embarked on our [URC] debut season and, later, the EPCR Challenge Cup.

“We wish him and his family all the best as they embark on their next chapter.”  

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The Lions have been beset with recent off-field issues

This latest story comes not long after a report on IOL Sport suggested that an anonymous survey among the squad members had seen several coaches receive a lowly rating in terms of performance.

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There has also been other talk of an alleged lack of professionalism in the camp, with claims of poor management while on tour in Europe where players were “chowing hot dogs” and ended up having to play in their warm-up shirts in the absence of their official jerseys.

In another article by Rugby365, a meeting between the coaching staff – including its senior members – saw several issues raised in March, and which allegedly included grievances about Straeuli being guilty of “ongoing interference and involvement in training schedules, game plans and selection” and “a growing malcontent towards [Tracy] van Ginkel [the union’s contracts and operations manager] in the coaching and players’ ranks”.

According to yet another recent report on IOL.co.za, Van Ginkel is also accused of unashamedly coming into the players’ dressing room at inopportune times, where she could see their “willies”.

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