South African Rugby officials have confirmed that the Southern Kings will play Super Rugby and that the Lions will sit it out for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
This will be for one year, whereupon promotion / relegation matches will be played, home and away, between the Lions and the bottom-placed SA Super Rugby Franchise, to see who plays the following year.
Cheeky Watson says that the voting went 23-6 in favour of the Southern Kings.
“All provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition – Hoskins
“Our goal is to have 6 strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa, this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis – Jurie Roux
Jurie Roux: “We also canvassed Super 15 players before the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism”
Southern Kings CEO, Anele Pamba, confirms that they are in discussions with overseas players and some local (non-Lions) players. They will probably reveal names next Friday.
The 1st ‘BIG ‘ signing for the Southern Kings – Demetri Catrakilis has just announced he has signed for the Kings.
Cheeky Watson is very unhappy with the outcome of the 1 year deal, and says the Southern Kings will lodge an appeal against the ruling and ask for the 3-year guarantee promised by SARU.
“We are extremely disappointed at this result,” De Klerk said.
“This is a very unfortunate decision, which will result in a team taking part in a competition without needing to qualify on rugby merits,” he said of the decision to award the Kings a place in the competition.
The Lions boss stopped short of attacking SARU in his statement, but it is very clear they are not happy.
“We will take time to consider this decision and then to plan our response that best protects our players, staff, stakeholders and supporters,” De Klerk added.
More to follow…
SARU press release
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Thursday confirmed South Africa’s participants in Vodacom Super Rugby at a General Meeting of the member provinces.
The top four teams in the South African Conference in 2012 (DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, The Sharks and Toyota Cheetahs) will join the Southern Kings in the 2013 tournament.
The teams were confirmed after the General Meeting accepted a proposal first tabled by the Executive Council in January. The proposal was that: “The franchise occupying the lowest log position of the five franchises at the end of 2012 would be relegated.”
The MTN Lions, who finished bottom of the South African Conference, will have the chance to regain their status in 12 months’ time. The Executive Council had previously determined that the bottom team in 2013 would play in a two-legged promotion and relegation series against the relegated franchise. The promotion/relegation series will also be in place in 2014 and 2015 – at which point the broadcast contract expires.
“All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition,” said Mr Oregan Hoskins, president of SARU. “That decision was first taken in 2005 but their inclusion has twice been postponed.
“We made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment. The franchise represents more clubs than any other region – apart from the Stormers – and contains numerous leading rugby schools. It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade and a half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.”
Mr Hoskins said that SANZAR’s decision to grant the 15th franchise to Melbourne in 2011 – rather than the Southern Kings – had created a dilemma for SARU. He said that the organisation and players had wanted a “rugby solution” to accommodate six franchises in five places and this had been delivered, as challenging as it was for the relegated team.
“The provinces asked for a rugby solution and we believe that this was the fairest and most transparent method to respond to what is undoubtedly a less than ideal situation,” he said. “We also canvassed Vodacom Super Rugby players before the start of the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism.Jurie Roux, the CEO of SARU, said that the decision to apply a promotion and relegation system from 2013 was standard practice in sport.
“We operate promotion and relegation in all our Absa Currie Cup competitions, with the bottom-placed team being relegated unless it wins a play off,” said Roux. “Our strategic goal is to have six strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa and this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis.”
Cheeky’s response:
planet rugby.com
SARU announced on Thursday that the Kings would play in the 2013 Super Rugby competition, with the Lions dropping out for at least one year.
“I think it is a ludicrous decision,” Watson said after the decision was made at a SARU general council meeting in Cape Town.
“It doesn’t make sense in rugby, not in business, not in the church.
“It doesn’t make sense in any sector of society that you are sitting with a scenario that you are in Super Rugby for one year and expected to achieve.
“But I think we, as the South Eastern Cape, play the hand that we are dealt and we make the best of it.”
SARU confirmed that the promotion/relegation playoff would also be in place in 2014 and 2015, at which point the broadcast rights contract expired and a different format could be considered.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins said the decision to include an Eastern Cape franchise in the Super Rugby tournament was first made in 2005, but was twice postponed.
“All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Super Rugby competition,” Hoskins said.
“We made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment.
“The franchise represents more clubs than any other region — apart from the Stormers — and contains numerous leading rugby schools.
“It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade-and-a-half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.”
Roux – Saru has spent the past six months trying to find a competition for the relegated team to play in – with no success.
Lions players will all leave. Just can’t see them keeping their players.
Come back to the Sharks Pat Cilliers.
Province should be trying to get Jantjies. Unless the Kings will try to buy these players. Not sure if these players will want to play again for a team that will lay in the bottom of S15. They will leave to go overseas or go to either of the 3 big franchises here.
Roux – it would be ideal if plans for post-2015 Super Rugby expansion can be brought forward to 2014
WP can get Strauss but its silly that we act like vultures. Here is a tweet from the Highlanders Franchise
We are saddened by the news that the @LionsRugbyUnion will not be competing in the 2013 Super Rugby tournament.
Well at least this is like lancing a boil and a process has started.
However, the problem here is not just 2013, but 2014 & 2015 and what does the franchise sitting out do & how who do they compete against in a televised international tournament so that they can offer “value” or “exposure” to their players, sponsors, suite holders, season ticket holders and spectators live and at home.
This is halfway there and certainly not a solution so SARU needs to then also pay the equivalent amount of TV revenues to all 6 franchises in 2013, 2014 & 2015 as well as put together a tournament.
Or face a monster dispute centred around corporate governance and accountability. This is far from over as any one of the franchises would require this and SARU needs to deliver this.
Roux -This is NOT about one particular team at any one time, it is about region. Academy program started. Region lacked aspirational pathway.
@ TonyM:
Hell Tony, about time bru’!
You must please keep us posted on this saga in due course….it sounds moosa complicated.
Us lesser mortals here are speculating like crazy….
Who voted where, do you have any idea?
I somehow have a feeling WP and Sharks were ‘for’, Cheetahs, Bulls and Lions ‘against’.
@ TonyM:
1 More people watch Currie Cup than Super Rugby
2 What money are they getting? The money was received when the tv deal was made. All the money that is made now until 2016 goes to the tv companies
@ Piet-Springbok-Jan:
Voting: 23 for Kings in and Lions out and 6 against
Hoskins – Relegation is a globally accepted outcome of under-performance in world sport. British soccer good example
So next year could all the other 4 franchises of the saffa conference bank on getting 5 points from the Kings everytime we play them home and away? Jeez that could happen. Lions were a sterner test this year. They even beat my Sharks. Some teams never picked up 5 points from them either. Stormers never picked up 5 points from them not home or away. Sharks picked up 5 points once and lost their 2nd game at Ellis Park. Think Lions beat the Cheetahs as well once.
Jeez the Kings could give every team next year in the S15 5 points. They just might be a bigger embarrassment to our conference. They will have to buy like crazy to get players to play for them before the S15 starts next year. Kings really should have worked their way up to S15 and been ready. First play Currie Cup for two years. Phew they gonna get a massive klap from almost every team next year. Unless they have the cash to buy top class players.
@ Spooony:
That is true but this is an international competition vs a local competition and the problem with the SuperRugby inventory is that it needs a 3 X 6 team conference system inwhich the top 3 advance to playoffs – so that should be the target for 2016-2020 and needs to be put to bed in 2014/15.
Thers should now be a scrap over broadcasting money from SuperRugby with all the franchises taking a dilution.
A sad day that the Lions are out. Truely sad that.
Look Kings had to be brought in, but not this way. They should have come into Super Rugby in 2016 when they are properly prepared for it.
Sad day for Ellis Park too. Great stadium that. I know it is in the wrong side of town, but was always like home of the Boks really. What will happen to the Lions supporters? Damn I feel for them really.
@ Just For Kicks:
‘KP called Strauss a doos’ (News24 Sport)
Sies!
(Old geezers at the Marlybone CC probably still scratching their noses trying to figure out whether this was a complimentary remark or not…)
And then a nice mug shot of the man himself, Cheeky handsomely sporting Cheetah colours!
(Images of a used car salesman for Oranje Toyota spring to mind.)
One sometimes wonders how we have become the laughing stock of every english speaking sporting nation around the world (and some non english speakers too, I don’t doubt), but todays SARU ruling goes a long way to shed light on it. Another bloggers perspective – http://www.ruggaworld.com/2012/08/16/kings-saga-a-victory-for-administrators/
@ Piet-Springbok-Jan:Haha, I saw that – KP certainly does have a way with words, thats for sure!
PDivvy
My favorite song “the Lion sleeps tonight”….and the whole of next year
Fecking coent lol
@ Just For Kicks:
Strauss is a cunt pardon my French
@ Just For Kicks:
I see one blogger there refers to that R45m SARU made to the Spears probably influencing this decision as well.
So, it is not all about rugby in the EC only.
Smallies72, jy moet kyk op News24, Cheeky het jou ou Shimla-trui gegaps, hy gaan julle spelers ook nog vat!
Barend Pieterse en AshleyJ is al klaar daar (die ‘Burger’).
51 @ Piet-Springbok-Jan:I couldn’t possibly comment on that, on such a joyous and momentous day in the Eastern Cape for rugby, democracy, re-integration and Cheeky. I wouldn’t even harbour such thoughts, as we all know that Roux and company only have rugby and SA at heart – money would never come into it!!!!
@ Piet-Springbok-Jan:
‘….R45m promise SARU made’, sorry.
@ Just For Kicks:
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
How can anyone coming from PE admit in public he is from PE? That is like saying you were born and raised in a brothel. Its worse than Pretoria and it got a sea!
This whole thing has to do with money. If the GLRU shafted Coca Cola last year and agreed to move to Soccer City, this would never have happened. SAIL and Gumede and co would have been happy. So now to get rugby revenues they pushed the Kings agenda. SAIL manages both Soccer City and Nelson Mandela Bay stadium.
Good lesson for youngsters here: Be ethical and get screwed, or be unethical and get the rewards.
@ Lion4ever:
Remember when the Super Rugby started I mention that exact thing? I mentioned SAIL and even a link to the pdf files? I have compiled huge amounts of data even SARU’s bank statements which is freely available. But I was banned of 1 site for mentioning this.
Spoony, I seemed to have missed that, or maybe I did read it and thats what jogged my memory again. Its like the whole HSM pushing puke, and denying it. Evidence is there but everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room.
You will find it in one of the older articles. The bank statements even proof more how these fuckers are riding the gravy train. That rugby forum tossers thought I was talking crap ha!
Thanks Spoony, will have a look in the morning.
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