Radical idea for SA teams to join Pro12

RADICAL proposals have been put forward for two South African Super Rugby sides to join the Guinness Pro12 from next season, writes Simon Thomas.

The Super Rugby tournament is to reduced from 18 to 15 teams from next year, with South Africa losing two sides and Australia one.

SA Rugby is yet to announce which two teams will be axed, but there have been calls from several pundits for the Cheetahs and Southern Kings to be ditched.

Now those sides have been handed a potential lifeline with a leading administrator proposing they should join an expanded Pro12 from September.

That would see the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs and Port Elizabeth’s Southern Kings joining the four Welsh regions, the four Irish provinces and the two teams from both Scotland and Italy in a new Pro14.

Organisers have been looking to expand the cross-border competition for some now to bring in additional TV revenue and create a conference system which would enable most, if not all games, to be played outside the Test window with star players on duty more often.

The north American market continues to be investigated amid talk of franchises being set up in the USA and Canada.

And now South Africa is very much on the agenda with the reduction of the Super Rugby tournament.

Former Southern Spears chief executive Tony McKeever believes he has a solution to his country’s predicament.

McKeever has revealed he has put what amounts to a groundbreaking idea to Pro12 administrators.

“I have already engaged the Pro12 CEO Martin Anayi and proposed he take these two teams and rebrand this as Pro14 and let the Cheetahs and Eastern Province Rugby be a part of this tournament, which starts in September,” he told Sport24.

“Martin is a visionary and seeks to expand Pro12 into new markets and grow the Pro12 TV audiences and spectators.

“This is a perfect way to accomplish that with South African Rugby.”

“This would rejuvenate the Pro12/14 tournament with excitement.”