New Kings signings arrive in PE

FORMER Springbok and Lions hooker Bandise Maku pulled on a Kings rugby jersey for the first time yesterday and immediately declared that he felt "completely at home" and ready for the new challenges that lay ahead.

Maku was among the first of a batch of new Southern Kings signings who arrived in Port Elizabeth to complete pre-season paperwork and undergo medical examinations. Kings chief executive Anele Pamba said centre Andries Strauss (Free State Cheetahs), lock Steven Sykes (Sharks), scrumhalf Shaun Venter (Pumas) and Maku met Kings officials at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday.

"It is great to be in Port Elizabeth and I am really looking forward to this new chapter in my career," Maku, who was born in King William's Town and attended Dale College, said.