Official: Cheetahs & Kings out of Super Rugby

The Cheetahs and the Kings will not play Super Rugby in 2018. 

SA Rugby confirmed the news on Friday, with the Cheetahs having agreed to a settlement. 

Both the Kings and the Cheetahs agreed that they would be seeking other international opportunities, with a move to the Pro12 in Europe reportedly an option. 

The Cheetahs had an agreement in place to play Super Rugby until 2020, but the board of the franchise decided on an amicable settlement with SA Rugby.

The announcement was made before a Special General Meeting of SA Rugby in Cape Town on Friday which will formally confirm South Africa’s four participants in the competition next season.

The meeting was called to determine SA’s entrants to fall in line with a SANZAAR decision to reduce the competition’s participants from 18 to 15 teams from next season.

The new structure will comprise four teams from South Africa, five from New Zealand, four from Australia and one each from Argentina and Japan. 

An announcement on the opportunities for the Cheetahs and Kings is expected shortly.