Lions dismiss Super Rugby exit claims
DE KLERK: FRANCHISE DOES NOT PLAN TO BREAK AWAY FROM SUPER RUGBY
Sanzaar says talks of SA exodus are ‘simply wrong’.
Lions president Kevin de Klerk yesterday vehemently denied claims that the Johannesburg franchise is set to leave Super Rugby alongside the Sharks and Stormers.
Wales Online ruffled the feathers of Sanzaar, the body that controls the game in the southern hemisphere, by claiming the Sharks would be the first to join the European Pro14 competition for 2019/20, with the Lions and Stormers potentially following suit the season after.
The Cheetahs and Kings, who were cut from a downsized Super Rugby last year along with Australia’s Western Force, already play in the Pro14 which also includes teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
“It was news for me too. I only saw it his morning the first time,” De Kerk told The Citizen yesterday.
“We haven’t negotiated or been in contact with any party whatsoever.
“Sanzaar has contracts in place which will run until 2019 so I can’t see anything before such a time. Nobody can break that.”
The latest claims isn’t the first time South Africa’s remaining Super Rugby franchises have been linked to a move up north, as shortly after the Cheetahs and Kings joined the Pro14 last year there was also talk of other local franchises looking into the prospect of rather competing in a European competition. Such a move would alleviate having to cross several time zones during travelling to and from away matches.
Last week, Australia’s Fairfax Media cited a leaked paper titled “Sanzaar 2030 Strategy” as examining a push into North America, potentially as a contingency plan should South African teams jump ship. It reportedly raised the possibility of a 20-team, four-conference format likely to feature at least one US team.
But Sanzaar said yesterday all its member unions were still on board and involved in an ongoing review to determine Super Rugby’s future up to 2030.
“As part of this process the member unions have fully committed to the strategy and their future participation,” Sanzaar chief Andy Marinos said in a statement.
“Any talk of a change to the stakeholder relationship and partners withdrawing, creation of new teams in new markets and trans-Tasman competitions is unsubstantiated speculation and simply wrong.”
Marinos added the review would “address the challenges facing our game and to clearly articulate Sanzaar’s vision and purpose in terms of a sustainable future”.
“Everything has been on the table – status quo, expansion, contraction, competition formats, etc – as part of our initial blue-sky thinking.”
Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters