The South African rugby union confirmed on Friday what was already widely expected as it axed the Cheetahs and Southern Kings from Super Rugby from next season.
SA Rugby said the two teams have reached agreements with the national union on their Super Rugby exits and will explore other “international competition opportunities,” the biggest hint yet that they will join the Pro 12 competition in Europe.
Super Rugby organizer SANZAAR resolved this year to cut the southern hemisphere competition – which features teams from five countries and three continents – by three teams to 15 to help make it more financially viable.
Two teams from South Africa and one from Australia had to go, with SANZAAR leaving the national unions to decide which ones to cut. The Australian Rugby Union hasn’t yet said which one out of the Perth-based Western Force and Melbourne Rebels will lose its Super Rugby place.
Controversially, SANZAAR opted to retain the Japan-based Sunwolves in Super Rugby despite that team being the biggest struggler since it joined in 2016, a decision based on expanding rugby into new territories rather than increasing the quality of rugby in the tournament.
The bottom-placed Sunwolves lost 94-7 to South Africa’s Lions last weekend, the biggest losing margin in Super Rugby for a decade.
The Cheetahs, based in Bloemfontein, and the Kings, based in Port Elizabeth, were always expected to lose out against South Africa’s four other Super Rugby participants, which are the country’s biggest teams and play out of the major cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.
Officials from both the Kings and the Cheetahs said they were now looking at other competitions, amid reports that they are about to join the Pro 12, a tournament made up of Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and Italian teams.
“It will be an exciting challenge for our players, supporters and commercial partners and will be the start of a new chapter for rugby both in our region and in South Africa,” Cheetahs chief executive Harold Verster said.
Andre Rademan, president of the Eastern Province Rugby Union, which oversees the Kings, said: “We have enjoyed Super Rugby but the chance to test ourselves against different opposition in different conditions is a mouth-watering one. We are therefore not opposed to joining new competitions.”
Train Without A Station
Guest
To me all of SA going North does make sense. 2 teams makes no sense. For example how will it work for the Cheetahs having the rugby championship, the Pro12 and Currie Cup all occur at the same time? Obviously if they all move North they can run the Currie Cup in the period of May-September at least, or during Super Rugby to not clash with test rugby.
Baylion
Roar Rookie
SA's problem isn't so much that they don't have the players but that they struggle to keep players from going overseas. SARU has indicated that they want to move to a situation where monies earned by competitions are spend on the teams in those competitions. If this change happens SR monies will be spent on SR teams, 4 instead of 6 equals more money for the franchises to spend on players. The additional monies from Pro12 will be spent on the Kings and Cheetahs. The overall increase in money will also allow SARU to sign more players on dual SARU/Franchise contracts to combat the lure of the pound and euro
Bob
Guest
If player dilution is the problem in super rugby for SA cutting two teams, how does this problem get addressed now?
Baylion
Roar Rookie
I think SARU will want to maintain the SANZAAR and Super Rugby relationship, specifically in order to play the Kiwi sides. I doubt that SARU will pull all the teams from Super Rugby
Baylion
Roar Rookie
Costs of accommodating SA sides He [Harold Verster] wouldn’t be drawn on any details other than that the franchises’ participation in Pro 12 will be announced on Saturday, the day after the Cheetahs and the Kings play their last Super Rugby game – against each other. The competition proper – which features teams from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy and is sponsored by Guinness and broadcaster Sky Sports – begins next month and concludes in May, meaning it will overlap with the Currie Cup until the end of October. The addition of the Cheetahs and the Kings will necessitate a name change to Pro 14 after a €12 million (R183 million) increase in TV money into the competition, with those already in the tournament getting €500 000 more to cover the costs of accommodating the South African sides. The competition will be played along the lines of two conferences of seven, with three teams automatically qualifying for the knockout stages and the top two teams making the semifinals in the process http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/kings-cheetahs-exclusion-a-win-win-situation-20170709
Crazy Horse
Guest
An absolute farce that any of the teams facing the axe will go whilst the totally useless Sunwolves are retained.
RahRah
Guest
Yes mate, one and the same. A man that the rest of the team would follow as he leads with deeds not words. The responsibility would temper the times he can be impetuous. Same mold as Martin Johnson, remember him? He's the one who lead England to a world cup win in Australia. Your attempt to dismiss the suggestion on the basis of my age is well wide of the mark (shows the level of thought put into your argument), I remember watching Armstrong land on the moon. Sorry Puha, no cheap points for you here.
Puha
Guest
Coleman for Captaincy? The fella that's always looking for fights,that same Coleman to talk with Refs and Officials,ha ha ha ha ha!sorry but couldn't help portraying the fun I see in that vision.You must be under the age of say 35 at a guess.
redbull
Guest
Yeah, but you are going to have travel time where none existed. You are going to have a much longer season, so fatigue will increase. Unless they planning to ditch the Italians for 2 RSA teams? There is already some talk about putting a eastern US team in somehow. They have only just made Pro 12 interesting (courtesy of ERC qualification rules), why mess with it now?
Suzy Poison
Guest
Plus the Kings have improved outta sight this year. Six wins compared to two last year. If there were playing in the Aussie conference, only the Brumbies would be ahead of them. The Pro 12 is getting a team on the rise. Cheetahs are okay, but the Kings are a team to watch. As a Saffa, this is a great result for Kings and Cheetahs clubs and players. Considering how unfair it is, that these teams got dumped in favour of the Sunwolves. For years, Aussies have been saying, get rid of the Saffas. Be careful what you wish for my friends?
Rock
Guest
The difference is with this is that, SA is in the same time zone - broadcast & player fatigue wise it's a win win.
Rock
Guest
And good riddance IMO, it's been holding all member unions back with it's terrible format.
Pie_t
Guest
Good comment. Cheetahs and Kings are the thin end of the wedge. Once their entry into European rugby is seen to be a success, it won't take long for the remaining teams to leave so called "Super Rugby", which for some time now has been anything but super.
Redbull
Guest
I do hope that the Pro 12 administrators would learn something from the mistakes made by SANZAAR and realize that expansion for expansions sake is not good management
Ian
Guest
The beginning of the end of Super rugby. Aus and NZ do not have the financial clout to keep Super rugby going. Some in Aus are going to get what they've been wishing for many years, a competition without the South Africans. Unfortunately, such shortsightedness will result in no more Super rugby and a further decline in Aus rugby. 2020 will be the end date.
Old Bugger
Guest
Aha NB - you didn't know the secret ploy that's been adopted by the ERU and FRU, to gain control over their internal competitions.....they've been in discussions with and ever since SARU teams, first mooted a threat, to leave Sanzaar - what's that now, over the past 5 years?? SARU should go north - time zone wise, its the best outcome....and Argentina should probably follow. But.........!!
Nicholas Bishop
Expert
Probably only a matter of time before all the SA franchises follow the same path North. That will make the Pro 12 a really substantial competition and pave the way for South African entry into the ECC. It will also give the unions more power in their ongoing battle with private ownership in England and France.
RahRah
Guest
Ive maintained two things all season 1. Coleman should be next Wallaby captain, & 2. The entire setup needs to crumble to the ground and be rebuilt. Perhaps this could be the beginning of an entirely new structure. Trans Tasman / Pacific comp anyone? SANZAAR to die and take the ARU down with it.
Baylion
Roar Rookie
Apart from SA representation in the Pro12, there is now talk that the Pumas and Griquas could be playing in the Anglo-Welsh Cup next season. The future of the four teams was apparently discussed at meetings held last week. http://www.heraldlive.co.za/sport/2017/06/26/kings-land-r22m-cash-bonanza/
AndyS
Guest
To be honest, I was a little surprised the Pro12 didn't actively chase either the Lions or Bulls as one of the teams. Easier with travel, but even more so a readily recognised name that would help generate interest...