South African teams Central Cheetahs and Southern Kings were ditched from Super Rugby Friday amid reports they will seek places in an expanded European Pro12 competition.
An announcement relating to new international opportunities for the dumped teams will be made in due course, South African Rugby said in a statement. Pro 12 currently consists of four Irish and Welsh teams and two from Italy and Scotland and there has been media speculation that the two relegated South African sides would join them.
The axings were expected as the Cheetahs and Kings had the lowest average attendances and poorest overall playing records among the six Super Rugby teams from South Africa.
The other “casualties” will be an Australian team — either the Melbourne Rebels or the Perth-based Western Force.
Rising costs, exhaustive travel across 15 time zones, dwindling crowds and TV audiences, and a hard-to-understand format are among the reasons for cutting the number of franchises.
Coastal Sharks, Golden Lions, Northern Bulls and Western Stormers will represent South Africa in Super Rugby next season when the competition shrinks from 18 teams to 15.
“I want to thank the Cheetahs and Kings for the mature and professional manner in which they managed the difficult situation,” SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said.
“They took decisions that will not only benefit them, but also South African rugby in general.”
Kings host Cheetahs on July 14 in Port Elizabeth in what will be the last Super Rugby fixture for both teams.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.