Beef up or pay the prize
Kings and Cheetahs told to strengthen sides for Pro12
EUROPEAN rugby bosses have warned the Southern Kings they must beef up their depleted squad before an expected debut in an enlarged Pro12 competition in six weeks.
One of the anticipated clauses for the deal to include the Kings and Cheetahs is that the two franchises must commit to strengthening their squads to ensure the competitive nature of the competition is protected.
Celtic Rugby Limited, which administers the competition, is keen to avoid a perception where sponsors and fans may think they have included weak teams who were booted out of Super Rugby.
There are many, however, who feel that Super Rugby has become a deeply flawed product that has lost touch with supporters because of its complicated conference format.
Former chief executive of the Southern Spears, Tony McKeever said: “Super Rugby is an incoherent tournament and supporters have voted with their feet and their eyeballs. They are not watching because the product has gone stale.”
Although there has been no official confirmation that the Kings and Cheetahs will play in Europe, insiders say the deal was agreed at a meeting in Dublin on Tuesday.
There has been a mass exodus of star players from the Kings after their Super Rugby campaign ended last week, sparking speculation about the quality of the squad they will be able to assemble.
Among those who headed for the exit door were captain and playmaker Lionel Cronje, Makazole Mapimpi and Chris Cloete.
The Kings have yet to announce who will coach the team, though current coach Deon Davids is expected to be given the job. Davids has said he would relish the chance to take charge of the team and said the Kings would face huge new challenges.
“I would definitely like to take part in the competition. I think the Pro12 is something different and it opens a different landscape for the players and coaches,” said Davids.
“Of the group of players we have ... there are not going to be many left of the current group. That alone will be a big challenge.”
It is known that frantic work is going on behind the scenes to ensure that the Kings muster a competitive squad.
Insiders say all elements of the deal to include the South African teams have been agreed and, once legally ratified, could be formally announced next week.
The new enlarged Pro14 league will kickoff in the first week of September and will comprise two conferences of seven teams. Each conference will have one Scottish side, one South African side, one Italian side and two each from Wales and Ireland.
The current preference is for two conferences of seven teams playing each other home and away. Within this format, the teams would also play one game against all the sides from the other conference, which would deliver 19 fixtures. Additionally, each club would also play home and away derby fixtures as well, providing a total of 21 league games.
However, other formats are being discussed.
The winners of each conference will qualify automatically for the semifinals, while the teams placed second and third in each conference will be drawn together in playoffs for the remaining two semifinal places.
The Pro12 currently raises around £12million (R201-million) in television revenue, meaning the addition of the two South African sides represents a significant uplift as the Scottish, Irish and Welsh rugby unions try to bridge the financial gap to the English Premiership and French Top 14 teams.
The increase equates to around £500 000 (R8.4-million) in additional income per season for the existing Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Italian sides in the Pro12.