Kings get backing from top
SUPER Rugby boss Andy Marinos is hoping the Southern Kings will be able to stabilise this season after battling to hold their own in the global tournament last year.
Only two wins in 15 games summed up a difficult season for the Kings last year, but Marinos believes the Kings have a better chance of success this time.
This assessment will be music to the ears of Kings head coach Deon Davids and his coaching team, who have been training since October and have assembled a 46-man squad.
Talk of badly performing teams being culled next year means the Kings will be desperate to show they belong in the top flight.
Together with their derby matches against South African opposition, the Kings will play five Australian teams in addition to two matches against the Jaguares and one against the Sunwolves.
The Kings’ only wins last year were achieved against the Jaguares and Sunwolves at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“There was a lot of noise made about the Kings before the start of the 2016 season,” Marinos told the sarugbymag website.
“Many felt they wouldn’t be ready, and one only needed to look down their team list to realise they were in for a tough time.
“Of course, one also needed to realise the challenges they had faced in the build-up to the season, and how they had battled to attract a number of players to their franchise. “We’re hoping that they will stabilise in future. They are back in the tournament, and will benefit by having more time to prepare for the 2017 season and beyond, under the auspices of SA Rugby.”
Marinos said it was a natural progression for Argentina’s Jaguares and Japan’s Sunwolves to join the tournament.
“Argentina joined the Rugby Championship in 2012. It took them some time to find their feet in that tournament, but they have managed to record wins against Australia and South Africa in recent years, and have come close against New Zealand.
“They did well at the 2015 World Cup, hence it was a natural progression for them to join Super Rugby.
“The Jaguares didn’t enjoy the best introduction to Super Rugby in 2016, but they did travel extensively over the course of the season. “They will benefit from this experience, though.” Marinos also said that Japan’s win against the Springboks at the 2015 World Cup had provided the country’s rugby with a massive boost in the lead-up to the Sunwolves’ Super Rugby debut last year.
“The Sunwolves were disrupted in the build-up to their season, but still managed to play an unorthodox yet wholly entertaining brand of rugby over the course of the tournament,” Marinos said.