Why the Kings deserve a shot at Super Rugby

The Super Kings will play Super Rugby next year. This was the decision made by SARU about which South African franchises to include in next year’s Super Rugby competition. I won’t go into the details but as I understand it the Lions (who finished last in the South African conference) drop out in 2013 and have a chance to reclaim a spot in 2014 in a promotion/relegation series of matches.

The vast majority of South African rugby fans will not be happy at this decision, but as I come from the Eastern Cape I understand the reasoning behind it. I had an interesting conversation speaking to Peter Wilkinson (ex-Transvaal fullback) who played in the amateur days of rugby and who played against the British & Irish Lions. He told me that back then Eastern Province were the team to beat. He also told me how when rugby started to turn professional talented players from the Eastern Cape were lured away to more lucrative pay benefits in the bigger cities thus diminishing the standard of rugby in the Eastern Cape.

For decades now we have seen many fantastic players playing Currie Cup, Super Rugby and International rugby who hail from the Eastern Cape region but play for other regions. Eastern Cape schools consistently find themselves in the top 10 in South Africa every year! Grey High in PE has produced their fair share of South African sportsmen.

I don’t expect the Kings to make a huge impact in their first season as Super Rugby is a massive step up from First Division rugby. However, with some wise player recruitment and a bit of ingenuity the Super Kings could well surprise their critics with one or two big upsets. For the Kings, the focus will be more about competing and being competitive than winning the competition.

When they first started out, the Western Force did not have the fire power or players that they now have. Although they aren’t setting the world alight, it gave the Australian selectors a wider base to choose from and they have produced some really talented players for the Wallabies. None more so than current skipper David Pocock.

In my humble opinion, this is a positive move for South African rugby. I would urge you to be patient and give the Kings a chance to develop. The Lions have had a decent chance to excel in the international competition and have come up short. It’s time for another region to try stake their claim.