So it's a mixed bad regarding the Cheetahs I never gave a damn about the kings as we now have their catchment area at the Sharks.
The Cheetahs had the following going for them.
-Were kicked out of Super rugby, went to pro 14 as a compromise
-did very well under circumstances in the new territory that is pro 14
-started recruiting well and dealing with the bad hand that was dealt
-won the Currie cup
-recruited some big foreign players such as Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar with guys like Johan Goosen on the way
-secured big sponsorships
- has got a very loyal following especially under Afrikaner plattelanders and Vrystaat boere
-these guys don't necessarily go to the stadium but packs out Bars and DStv subscriptions from Bloemfontein to Potchefstroom
-hotbed for South African rugby
-has an illustrious history in South Africa
-contributes many more Springboks than the Lions
-its going to dissuade many more Afrikaans platteland kids from rugby
-South African provincial rugby must brace itself for huge fan losses with the dissent towards SARU
-can be seen as a monetary decision over a cultural and sporting decision
In no uncertain terms do I feel that the Cheetahs was dealt with unfairly, they deserved it 120 percent more than the Lions, historically speaking the Lions got nothing on the Cheetahs, their fans are non existent. Have you ever walked in to a bar and there is a majority Lions fans? Even in Joburg it's rare, heck it's been years since I've seen an actual lions fan in person. But go anywhere in the free State and north west and you see Cheetahs flags and fans packing in bars. The Lions has got no culture compared to the Cheetahs their fans also don't go to the stadium. Geographically Gauteng is over served.
South African rugby will be poorer for this decision, I can just hope that the Cheetahs can play their way back to the pro rugby series.
You are trying to oversimplify things here, and some of these things you mentioned are just not true, at least not in the modern era of rugby.
Dissuade more platteland kids from rugby?? That is absolute nonsense. Most platteland kids who takes up the sport and become professionals don't mind playing for other unions, as long as they can have their foot in the door. How many Grey Bloem players end up at other unions?? And how many of them are actually from the Free State? Here's an example, Corniel Els, who plays for the Bulls went to Grey College, but he's actually from Polokwane, but his father saw his potential and sent him to Grey to get a chance to be more noticable by scouts.
And it's not like the Cheetahs are now going into obscurity and won't play any rugby. They will play in the upcoming Currie Cup and Super Rugby Unleashed tournaments. And they will still be there for next year's local tournaments as well.
And SARU wouldn't have come to this decision lightly, as they know of the legal ramifications it could potentially have for them, so there must have been some sort of discussion to get the Cheetahs on board with this decision, otherwise we would have seen a lot more toys being thrown out of the cot, as Harold Verster isn't one to keep quiet.
Huge fan losses and dissent? Can't see that either. This pandemic has made people hungry to watch rugby, and get to social sporting events. If anything, this pandemic will cause more bums in the stadium than in the past, because as the saying goes "you don't know what you miss, until it's gone", I know a lot of people who hardly ever go to stadiums to watch rugby, signed up for the B&I Lions lottery.
The problem is that no matter how you slice it, we have too many teams, and not enough spots. It would be better to use the big 4 in this tournament for a chance to win silverware, and make it a profitable journey.
Plus Bloemfontein isn't doing itself favours with it not having an international airport, something the 4 others all have.
