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Southern Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons is set to bid an emotional farewell to the team after the second leg of the promotion relegation playoffs against the Lions at Ellis Park.
Solomons has signed a two-year contract as head coach of Scottish side Edinburgh and will link up with the club on the 9th of August at Murrayfield.
Solomons says he'd like to think he's achieved the brief given to him by Cheeky Watson ahead of his three-year contract with the Kings coming to end this year.
Solomons said it had also been tough on his wife Mary, with their home being in Northern Ireland - but that he was happy to have been able to give something back to the Metro in which he was born and schooled.
The news of Solomons' move to Edinburgh came on the eve of the second leg of the promotion-relegation playoffs with the likeable coaching guru expressing his hope that the team would retain their Super Rugby status.
"I was brought here three years ago by Cheeky with the specific brief of preparing us for our entry into Super Rugby and taking us into our first year of Super Rugby. Part of that was on the coaching front, improving the quality of the side so that we could be competitive at Super Rugby level and I'd like to think we've been reasonably successful on that score."
Solomons said he'd also been tasked with putting in the necessary structures and that the Kings now had an academy that was a tribute to all concerned. "Robbi Kempson has done a great job in running that academy and it gives me an imense amount of pride to see that almost 97% of that academy is local and 65% are players of colour." He said the results of the academy were the likes of Scotty van Breda, Shane Gates, Siviwe Soyizwapi and Renier Bernardo all playing Super Rugby this year.
Solomons said EP Rugby now also had a very strong performance-analysis department, medical department and strength and conditioning department that had never been in place before the advent of Super Rugby. "We've got good coaching structures running throughout, from the academy to the under 21s and the Vodacom Cup. Cheeky Watson also needs to take credit for putting us into this magnificent facility here at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. So all in all, we've come a long way from the old Boet Erasmus Stadium days and I'm honoured and priveleged to have been part of this amazing journey."
Watson said Solomons had done a brilliant job under difficult circumstances. "Its been a wonderful experience working with Solly which started way back with the British and Irish Lions game when we had that mountain to climb with no players. Putting a competitive team on the park against the British and Irish Lions set the tone moving forward, I believe and there's no question that Solly has delivered what we asked of him."
Meanwhile, The Southern Kings team to play the Lions on Saturday sees George Whitehead named at flyhalf for the injured Demetri Catrakilis. Hadleigh Parkes moves to left wing for Marcello Sampson and Scott van Breda comes in on the right wing.
Breda will also handle the kicking duties. Waylon Murray starts at inside centre for Shane Gates who drops to the bench.
The pack remains the same and in the only change to the bench, Wesley Dunlop comes in as cover for the flyhalf position.
