Kings in, Lions out
16 Aug 2012
Saru has confirmed that the Kings will play Super Rugby at the Lions’ expense in 2013.
This ends months of speculation about how the Kings – who were promised Super Rugby entry by Saru – would be accommodated in the tournament. After Saru’s hopes of getting a sixth franchise were dashed by Sanzar, the Lions, who finished last on the combined Super Rugby log this year, were always likely to make way for the Eastern Cape franchise.
The Lions will now have to settle for Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup rugby before getting a chance to get back into Super Rugby by playing a two-legged promotion-relegation tie against the team that finishes last in the SA conference next year.
‘All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Super Rugby competition,’ said Saru president Oregan Hoskins. ‘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.’
Hoskins said that Sanzar’s decision to grant the 15th franchise to Melbourne in 2011 – rather than the Kings – had created a dilemma for them. 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 Super Rugby players before the start of the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism.’
Saru CEO Jurie Roux 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 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.’
342 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 » Show All
16 Aug 2012, 14:34 pm
a question we should ask is:
can the lions as a super franchise get any weaker? seriously?
i think not.
the real danger for them is maintaining a compettitive cc squad.
which i think is possible
16 Aug 2012, 14:35 pm
Hey Xhosakid – Stick to soccer dude! Had the Kings won a promo relagation game against the Lions then nobody would be fighting as it is deserved. Had the Bulls come last this year, do you think they would have been relegated? The answer is NO! It is not ethical or the right thing to do by simply removing a team….the promo relegation match was the correct way to go about it! I forget, this is how things are done in SA? Don’t compare things in Aus or NZ…difference is, things work there and are done in a proper way with procedures! Can’t wait to hear the King’s excuses for poor performances! SARU are a bunch of thugs and should be shot!
16 Aug 2012, 14:35 pm
…and I do feel for the Lions supporters.
16 Aug 2012, 14:37 pm
@Hurricane-86: The reality is that 5 sides is enough for SA, just like it is enough for NZ and the Aussies should be cut to 3 sides…a S13 would be the trick. Or maybe add in an Agentinian side and make it a S14.
16 Aug 2012, 14:38 pm
@Skeppie-96:
Yeah dude.
He just at times has some serious issues.
16 Aug 2012, 14:40 pm
@wnbb-100: Don’t worry about him, half the time he speaks with his mouth in his arrss, and the other half, with Blue tinted glasses
16 Aug 2012, 14:40 pm
@Hurricane-80:
whats his record after the ab stint?
and thats mypoint exactly
and dont say he had shitt useless teams to work with. look at what mckenzie did with the reds.
he is a kak coach, end of.
16 Aug 2012, 14:41 pm
@Skeppie-104:
Yep, 5 sides for NZ is enough. We could do six but it could mean the others may
lose a couple of players, we dont want that.
If Oz had only 3 sides they would be in contention for the cup everytime.
They would have 3 very strong teams.
16 Aug 2012, 14:43 pm
@Tacitus-94: yeah money to be made…
border Bulldogs, EP Kings & SWD Eagles are the SOUTHERN KINGS, but you knew that already but just playing daft…
16 Aug 2012, 14:44 pm
@Tacitus – “affliction” is less than accurate. What term do you use to describe the lions’ performance in the past 11 years since laurie mains left?
16 Aug 2012, 14:44 pm
@Hurricane-108:
5,4,3.
Super 12. That’s how it should be.
16 Aug 2012, 14:45 pm
@greegs-102: You have a nerve telling me to stick to soccer, here I’m giving you rugby lessons for free, this is not your house where blacks know their place, that’s point 1 out of the way.
Point 2. I simply don’t buy that ” I’m a poor white victim nonsense” or “that’s Africa for you nonsense”, in fact the Lions have been the epitome of this “that’s how things are done in South Africa”.
Point 3. You still haven’t answered, what competition did the Rebels, Force and Brumbies win to qualify for SR and finish above the Mighty Lions.
16 Aug 2012, 14:46 pm
@Transformation-109:
Nope. The Southern Kings are no more. It is now the EP Kings, based only on EP and excluding Border and SWD. Not?
16 Aug 2012, 14:46 pm
@greegs-102: Are you a white supremacist? Do you actually belief rugby belongs only to a white upper class?
Seriously dude, it’s talk like this that landed our country in the cesspool it is already.
Catch a wake up!
Skud jou kop dat jou ore jou kan wakker klap
16 Aug 2012, 14:47 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-107:
How can you compare 2 coaches looking after 2 different teams?
So you are saying the Lions and the Western Force are good teams?
And your end of is not end of, sounds like you are a teacher or something.
I believe he is a good coach that goes off the rails at times which has
affected his coaching.
He did win a CC last year. You told me that was the best tournament in the world and fairest a while back.
16 Aug 2012, 14:48 pm
@Hurricane-108: Yup it would make things a lot more competitive, if anything we could probably put up 4 teams but I think we might just have enough for 5.
16 Aug 2012, 14:51 pm
re nic theft.A vote of thanks to UFO
16 Aug 2012, 14:53 pm
oh well all getting late here catch yas all later.
Bakkies be good ok.
Skeppie always a pleasure.
16 Aug 2012, 14:56 pm
Any level-headed, fair person can not honestly defend the Lions presence in Super Rugby. Over a decade of good SANZAR money, still the Lions can finish a season win-less like they did in 2010, when Lions haven’t been last, they have been second last.
16 Aug 2012, 14:56 pm
@Hurricane-118: Cheers Hurricane
16 Aug 2012, 14:58 pm
@Hurricane-115:
he won a depleted cc with his full strength squad. the franchises were holding back for super rugby competitiveness, as well a litany of injuries.
were the reds any good over the last decade?
if i was your teacher i would not spare the rod, i would save the child
16 Aug 2012, 14:59 pm
@XhosaKid-119: Dude I can understand where you are coming from but you are staring to be as one-eyed as some of the people you are arguing against. While the Kings deserve a place in super rugby equally the Lions don’t deserve to be relegated. Why? Because there hasn’t been a relegation game yet, the Kings are getting their place on a political platter. I don’t say it’s the wrong call but it’s a tough call certainly not as cut and dry as you are making out.
16 Aug 2012, 14:59 pm
@Hurricane-118:
cheers hurri
16 Aug 2012, 15:02 pm
@Gumboots-103:
hi boots,
true, i do feel for the supporters
but the players, management, admin, coaches, board members, directiors and the rest can go and farking die of ebola flu for all i care.
16 Aug 2012, 15:05 pm
@Tacitus-113: again, you are wrong.
it is the southern kings franchise! stephaan pretorius is the CEO.
16 Aug 2012, 15:07 pm
The Lions of the past 11 years are the result of how things are done in south african rugby. No “politician” or “sports administrator” was at the lions to misspend money, let go of laurie mains, turn down a capital injection from potential partners, or led them into technical insolvency
16 Aug 2012, 15:07 pm
@greegs-102: Whats Wrong with you telling someone to stick to soccer just because their black, like you know everything about rugby no matter what skin colour you are, but i can safely say your Retarded by taking a look at your posts
this is a space for articulating a point of view whatever it may be, not verbal diarrhea
Lions made their bed, now they will have to lye in it
16 Aug 2012, 15:08 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-124:
Ayoba!
16 Aug 2012, 15:08 pm
Fantastic! Finally some new teams. Can’t wait, Kings don’t deserve to be there, neither the Lions. This will make the mundane Cheetahs vs Kings games so exciting because they are playing for relegation. The Stormers got relegated in 1997 and had their best year ever in 1998. Maybe this is a good thing for the Lions to go back to the drawing board.
16 Aug 2012, 15:09 pm
@Transformation-125:
…all in all they are just another brick in the wall…
16 Aug 2012, 15:09 pm
@Skeppie-122: I don’t believe in this political platter nonsense, Its simply a smoke screen to solicit sympathy for the Lions or create apathy towards the Kings. When the Force, Brumbies and Rebels were created and put into SR right infront of our eyes, no one said anything about politics.
The Lions have had SANZAR funding for over a decade and are still shyytt, why not give another team a chance to this funding and participation and see what happens, you can call the new team ” The Amazings” if you want, clearly Kings/Spears are not welcome.
16 Aug 2012, 15:10 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-124: Agree with you. 90% of the Lions issues and hassles came courtesy of their own inability to do anything right
From player contracts, to coaching woes, to financial kak (i.e. **** Muir still being paid in excess of 1 mil a year when he wasn’t even at the union….), to sponsorship nonsense, woeful management and about 5000000000 other things. Hell, they couldn’t OR wouldn’t pay the Pumas and Valke (I think) their cut of the Super rugby pie.
Donald Trump would have fired the whole lot of ‘em ages ago.
The benefit in this move, is that the Lions will be forced to sort their sh y te out.
In about 4-5 years, I can see fans of WP (myself included) nodding our heads and saying that being kicked out of the S15 will finally force the WPRFU to get their house in order….
May this be a warning to all.
16 Aug 2012, 15:13 pm
@Skeppie-122: when sanzar awarded SA the 5th franchise in 2005 & the lions & cheetahs decided to part ways and form different franchises with new partner unions; which one of the played promotion/relegation games to be in super rugby?
SARU DECIDED to put to the process to tender and said whoever didn’t make it on the tender process will be in automatcally in 2006.
now tell me how did the lions survive relegation in 2006, on merit?
16 Aug 2012, 15:14 pm
@XhosaKid-112: Hola baba, allow me to answer for him.
The teams you refer to were created as a result of the most attractive bids at their respective times when Aussie were allowed to increase their number of participating teams.
Much the same as what happened in SA when the Free State submitted the most attractive one back in 2005 which resulted in the Spears playing the race card and running off to their friends in Parliament which resulted in the current fiasco.
There is “nothing for mahala,” I’m sure you’re familiar with that phrase?
16 Aug 2012, 15:14 pm
All’s well that ends well.
16 Aug 2012, 15:16 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-132:
16 Aug 2012, 15:16 pm
Surely the Stormers will get a 4 try bonus against the Kings.
16 Aug 2012, 15:17 pm
Waar val al die mense uit?
16 Aug 2012, 15:18 pm
I hope the entire kings team die in an explosion i hope this whol fuked up country gets blown up. this worthless piece of **** country is too ***** clueless for words. and when these subhumans get torn to **** the news will give them a big pat on the back, “shucks we can like to say we arz taking big step forwards for humanity un da kings iz a shining light for uz all.” either that or “theyz dud looze coz white man can like to not believe they arz good not coz the team arz *****”.
16 Aug 2012, 15:18 pm
Following the news that the EP
Kings will be participating in Super
Rugby in 2013 the first of their
new signings has been announced,
WP Currie Cup flyhalf Demitri
Catrakilis has had his move
confirmed by Anthony Johnson of
World Artists.
While Catrakilis is not exactly a
16 Aug 2012, 15:19 pm
@Blitzbok-139:
Repeat that in English!
16 Aug 2012, 15:20 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-132: and the kings have their house in order? are you thick? the lions wont exist anymore in case you didnt think a bit. its over for them. but hey at least the kings canz has a chance to say they duz be there 2. what a sad pathetic excuse for a country.
16 Aug 2012, 15:20 pm
@Transformation-140:
Oh dear! A Cape excodus…
16 Aug 2012, 15:21 pm
@Blitzbok-139: go take your meds alucard…
16 Aug 2012, 15:22 pm
@BrumbiesBoy-134: read 133, now would you also kindly explain to him, as to why its not necessary to have CC experience to play SR
16 Aug 2012, 15:22 pm
@Transformation-144: go take YOUR meds mal-*****.
16 Aug 2012, 15:23 pm
@Transformation-125:
Thanks for clearing that up. I thought the Southern Kings died a quiet death with the creation of the EP Kings, of the same name.
16 Aug 2012, 15:24 pm
Dimitri?
That’s a blow for WP.
16 Aug 2012, 15:26 pm
Rugby in PE!!!!!
16 Aug 2012, 15:27 pm
@Gumboots-136: Imagine…… (horrifiedfacesmiley)
But, one wonders sometimes what it will take to sort out the deepening management woes at a union such as ours…..
Pages: « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.