Southern Kings Finished?

[elavery]

Getting rid of the Lions would be madness, no rugby team in South Africa's largest city?! Combining the Lions and the Bulls would never work. Pro12 would be better to ditch the Italians and bring in six South African sides. The Italian teams add nothing to the competition or to the viability of rugby in Italy.

 

[Al Bangor]

Getting rid of the Lions would be madness, no rugby team in South Africa's largest city?! Combining the Lions and the Bulls would never work. Pro12 would be better to ditch the Italians and bring in six South African sides. The Italian teams add nothing to the competition or to the viability of rugby in Italy.

Add nothing? Benetton made the playoffs last year. Your proposed ditching won't happen.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Italian teams add nothing to the competition or to the viability of rugby in Italy.

Neither of those statements are true.

Treviso were a missed drop goal from knocking out Munster and making the semis last season.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I wouldn't know about the Italians but they have the inside track on us being a Euro nation and part of both ERC and 6N and just having more history within the ProX itself.

Also doubt we could field 6 sides ATM. Sharks and Bulls are healthy.

Cheetahs seem on the up but they just don't have the base the other teams have to be a long term consistent threat.

Then Kings are a shambles and have closed their doors, Lions are "rebuilding" and my poor Stormers have just this week lost the plot in the board room. Goodness only knows if we can survive our current crop of administrators past this year.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Getting rid of the Lions would be madness, no rugby team in South Africa's largest city?! Combining the Lions and the Bulls would never work. Pro12 would be better to ditch the Italians and bring in six South African sides. The Italian teams add nothing to the competition or to the viability of rugby in Italy.

So just because the team is in the bigger city, that must automatically qualify them a place above a team who performs better, has financial stability and can produce a better product?

And it's not like Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban are so much smaller than Johannesburg in any case.

 

[mdaclarke]

So just because the team is in the bigger city, that must automatically qualify them a place above a team who performs better, has financial stability and can produce a better product?

And it's not like Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban are so much smaller than Johannesburg in any case.

But Bloemfontein is a lot smaller than all 4.

My preference would be to have a pro 18 with 6 South African Teams or 5 South African Teams and 1 extra team

 

[TRF_heineken]

But Bloemfontein is a lot smaller than all 4.

My preference would be to have a pro 18 with 6 South African Teams or 5 South African Teams and 1 extra team

Bloemfontein isn't that small though... But I get your point. And the Cheetahs will most probably lose their spot after 2021. But until then, they are in the tournament because of the contractual agreements already in place.

It's about the other 4. and how 4 must become 3 for a short period of time.

 

[Groundhog]

Pro14 confirm expansion talks to include high-profile South African teams

However, there won’t be any South African involvement in the new season until 2021 at the earliest.

www.the42.ie

Bit of an update on the will they won't they primary school romance going on between the Pro 14 and SA. Big point is that SA won't field teams until '21, they're looking at expansion which we all knew, and in the meantime could field a team other than the Kings in the competition should an expansion not happen.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[mdaclarke]

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/talks-conf ... oin-pro14/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/54265930

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... -the-abyss

My preference would be for an 8 team Currie Cup with the top 4 entering the Champions Cup and the bottom 4 entering the Challenge Cup.

It appears that the European Nations have been hit really really hard by Covid and the SARU seems to be weathering a bit better. Wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see some deal done which results in all 5 South African Franchises in the Pro XX

 

[Yulia]

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/talks-conf ... oin-pro14/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/54265930

Sounds very positive for SA teams fingers crossed

 

[TRF_Olyy]

My preference would be for an 8 team Currie Cup with the top 4 entering the Champions Cup and the bottom 4 entering the Challenge Cup.

Why?