Border clubs on rejected Sharks takeover: A 'carbon copy' of the deal that plunged union into debt

The Sharks' grand plan to help rejuvenate Border Rugby Union (BRU), first mooted last year, fell apart after the province's club officials felt it was eerily similar to the original sin that plunged them into chaos: the Kilian deal.

Ask anyone around East London about the Kilian deal, and you'll have a lot of epithets directed back.

In 2011, the late opportunistic KwaZulu-Natal businessman, André Kilian, bought Border Rugby (Pty) Ltd, with SA Rugby approval, which gave him control over all of the province's affairs, including selection and staff, for a mere R1.2 million and inherited a debt book of around R2.2 million.