Kings face tough run-up to league

IT will be case of out of the frying pan and into the fire in little more than six weeks for the Southern Kings.

Having just completed their most successful Super Rugby season, new and different challenges are facing the Kings.

The Port Elizabeth team won universal praise for their attacking style of play they exhibited in Super Rugby, which allowed them to win a record six games.

While their inclusion in an enlarged European Pro12 competition has yet to be formally announced, insiders said the deal was sealed in Dublin earlier this week at a meeting attended by SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux.

All that awaits now is a formal announcement from the Celtic Rugby Limited that administers the league.

But there are apparently some concerns around the readiness of the Kings to compete in a league comprising teams from Scotland, Italy, Wales and Ireland.

One of the reasons for this is that there was a mass exodus of top players from the Kings after their final Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs last week.

Out of the team that started against the Cheetahs, it is expected that only Berton Klaasen, Luzuko Vulindlu, Giant Mtyanda and Andisa Ntsila will remain.

One of the anticipated clauses for the deal to play in Europe is that the South African franchises will have to commit to strengthening their squads to ensure the competitive nature of the tournament is protected.

Pro12 is keen to avoid a situation where sponsors and fans may think they included weak teams that were booted out of Super Rugby. That, of course, would be disastrous for their brand.

It is known that frantic work is going on behind the scenes at the Kings to ensure they will be ready for the September kick-off. A huge task is facing the Port Elizabeth side, but they have shown in the past they are able to rise to the toughest of challenges put before them.

The Kings have yet to announce who will coach the team, though current head coach Deon Davids is expected to be given the job.

Getting ready for imminent European battles is one of the toughest hurdles the fledgling franchise will face.