Meeting on Kings’ future
GOVERNING body Celtic Rugby meet in Dublin today to discuss the future of their Pro12 competition, which is expected to include the Southern Kings and the Cheetahs later this year.
The board members are set to meet SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux and could sign off the inclusion of South African sides in the competition, which kicks off in September.
The South African franchises, who played their final Super Rugby game against each other on Friday, are expected to join 12 teams from Wales, Italy, Ireland and Scotland from September.
The revamp could see the league divided into two seven-team conferences.
If agreed, that would see teams play their conference rivals home and away, but they are expected also to play teams in the other con- ference at least once.
It is understood clubs are eager to safeguard as many derby games in the season as possible.
The Kings and Cheetahs decided they wanted to explore other international opportunities after their exit from Super Rugby, which will be reduced from 18 to 15 teams next season.
Australia is also set to lose a team as Super Rugby strives to reinvent itself.
Despite being set to play in a European league, the Kings and Cheetahs are keen to remain based in South Africa rather than in Britain.
There has been speculation they could play some home matches in the UK, with Saracens’ 15 000-seater Allianz Arena mooted as a potential venue.
This would be the first major change to the ProRugby competition since the introduction of Italian sides in 2010.
Welsh and Scottish sides first combined in a league in 1999, before an agreement with the Irish Rugby Football Union saw the Celtic League formed in 2001 with 15 teams.
This latest development in the Pro12 could also open the door to North American participation for 2018-19, as the competition explores expansion options to generate revenue and tap into new markets.
There have also been concerns over the participation of Italy’s two clubs.
Pro12 managing director Martin Anayi meets Italian rugby bosses in Rome this week.