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Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill and Ospreys coach Toby Booth have supported the expansion of the South African presence at Pro14.
Following the SA Rugby general council meeting on Friday, rumors have grown that four South African franchises could join an expanded Pro16 tournament.
While the four teams that will represent the country at PRO16 have yet to be identified, it is widely expected that Super Rugby teams, the Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers, will be chosen with the Cheetahs and Kings, who are currently compete in PRO14, they will likely be eliminated in the same way that they were eliminated from Super Rugby in 2017.
ALSO READ: SA franchises about to trade Super Rugby for Pro14
However, SA Rugby could be embroiled in a legal battle if it eliminates the Cheetahs, because the Free State Union is contracted to participate in the PRO Rugby tournament until 2023.
Talking with him TelegraphEdinburgh coach Cockerill supported the idea of including more South African teams in a PRO Rugby tournament.
“The South Africans have brought a good slant to competition,” Cockerill said. “If the four Super Rugby franchises join the Pro16 or Pro18, it would be a bold move, well worth making, opening a passage for things to expand because of what happened with Super Rugby.”
Meanwhile, Ospreys coach Booth said expanding the Pro14 to include a larger South African presence made “a lot of sense.”
“For me personally, it would be something exciting,” Booth said. “Playing with different competitions and in different places is the reason why Europe is such an exciting competition because it is different from the norm.
“From a viewer point of view, it definitely has its merits and increasing the visibility of the Pro14 and the business environment makes perfect sense to me.”
Ospreys coach Toby Booth says expanding Pro14 to include South African teams makes ‘a lot of sense’ pic.twitter.com/e8LLQ0dMTP
– SA Rugby Magazine (@SARugbymag) August 30, 2020
PRO16: The idea of qualification gains strength
Photo: Muzi Ntombela / BackpagePix
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