Saru must finalise Kings saga

The Super Rugby season has reached the play-offs and as it slowly approaches its culmination one Super Rugby issue that should’ve been solved months ago is still hanging around like the aftertaste of a bad boerewors roll.

The Southern Kings have been promised a place in Super Rugby from next year. Saru first tried to convince their Australasian “partners” that another South African team was a good idea, and their “partners” said no. Then a meeting between the union presidents and Saru to conclude the issue was delayed.

The essential problem Saru faces is that six does not go into five. South Africa should’ve had six teams in the competition instead of Australia having five, but that is a separate issue. Saru are now living with the consequences of allowing the current competition’s structure to take hold. Bulls and Sharks especially this year will be aggrieved.

The latest reports to emerge since Monday have stated August 16 as D-Day where the union presidents will make a final decision.

There are reportedly four options on the table:

1. The Kings are included at the expense of the Lions, who finished last again in the South African conference.

2. The Kings are promoted with Lions players being drafted into the Port Elizabeth-based team’s ranks.

3. The Lions and Cheetahs to once again form the Cats, which existed between 1998-2005.

4. The Lions will not be relegated and instead the Kings excluded.

Option 1 seems to be the most likely. Option 2 seems extremely unlikely. Option 3 is seen as an unholy alliance by both teams’ fans and the Cheetahs finished higher than the Lions. Option 4? It would be a disaster politically if the Kings were excluded.

Whatever decision is made, finality needs to be achieved. The longer this saga drags on, the worse its consequences will be for South African rugby.