Cape Town - WP Rugby on Thursday announced that an independent investigation found no forms of discrimination or unfair labour practices related to claims made by Stormers assistant coach Paul Treu.
The union said it had received the comprehensive final report from legal firm Bowmans which made no negative or adverse findings against any WP Rugby officers, coaches or staff members.
The investigation followed after Treu had stormed out of a Stormers season review meeting earlier this year. He reportedly said he “had enough of being treated poorly” and was “not going to take it anymore”.
WP Rugby Group CEO Paul Zacks on Thursday stressed that the union was committed to transformation and good governance, and viewed these allegations in a very serious light.
“After an extensive investigation process that saw 29 associated people interviewed and numerous documents reviewed in this matter, we are pleased that the independent enquiry found that there was no foundation to the allegations,” Zacks said.
Zacks added that WP Rugby’s transformation record was a source of pride.
“We are eager to put this matter behind us now so we can continue to focus on exceeding all the transformation objectives outlined in SA Rugby’s Strategic Transformation Plan,” said Zacks.
According to SA Rugby’s most recent Strategic Transformation Plan update, WP Rugby's track record over the past two years puts them at the forefront of transformation in South African Rugby.
In the 2017 and 2018 Super Rugby seasons, the Stormers were more transformed than any other South African franchise, while the same can be said for Western Province in the 2017 and 2018 Currie Cup.
In addition to this, the Western Province under-19 and under-21 teams and all age-group teams also lead the way in their respective tournaments in terms of transformation. In SA Rugby’s recent report, WP Rugby was found to have exceeded SARU’s transformation targets across all male and female, age-group and senior provincial and SANZAAR competitions in both 2017 and 2018.
WP Rugby has also achieved transformation goals off the field, with significant representation among coaches, team management, referees, selectors, board members and administrative staff.
"Despite the favourable findings by the independent investigation in the Paul Treu matter, and the pleasing results in the recent SA Rugby Transformation Report, we cannot rest on our laurels and will continue to work towards proactively improving transformation within the union as we seek to ensure rugby is a sport for all," Zacks added.
