Lions Pride

There has been a lot of talk about promotion relegation matches – the the Kings should have played the Lions in promotion relegation matches and that there will be promotion relegation matches next year to give the Lions a chance to get back.

Jurie Roux, the CEO of SARU, said that the decision to apply a promotion and relegation system from 2013 was standard practice in sport.

“We operate promotion and relegation in all our Absa Currie Cup competitions, with the bottom-placed team being relegated unless it wins a play off,” said Roux.

Bullshit!

Promotion relegation matches assumes at least a two tier competition where teams are promoted from or relegated to a lower tier but they still remain in the competition. This is the situation with the Currie Cup and most other competitions that apply a promotion relegation system.

With a promotion relegation system the relegated team still stays in the competition and it can keep its players and sponsors, albeit for lower monies. In a promotion relegation situation the relegated team still has a competition to compete in.

In the workplace when you are promoted you move up in the world and when you are demoted (relegated) you move down, BUT you still have a job. However, when you are fired (dropped, knocked out) you do not have a job anymore and must find a new job.

But there cannot be promotion relegation matches in Super Rugby at the moment. There is no alternative competition for the team that drops out and to say the Lions was relegated is just blowing smoke.

Talk about promotion and relegation is just sugarcoating the issue. The fact is, the Lions was fired without a safety net and there is no guarantee that they will have the opportunity to get back into the competition in the forseeable future.

This is not something I thought I’d ever say but I agree with Cheeky Watson. To give the Kings one year to “prove” themselves in Super Rugby before the last SA team, possibly the Kings, will be involved in a knock-out game is ludicrous.

“What happens if the Bulls suffer a spate of injuries and lose players next year and are relegated … that’s not right” said the smug bastard, knowing that he had put one over the Lions, over SARU and over the rugby unions when he got them to kick out the Lions.

Now that SARU has decided to include the Kings it makes no sense for them to be involved in a knock-out game after just one year, assuming they finish last. It is not only unfair to them but it’s also not going to sit well with SARU’s ANC bosses.

In the year ahead I believe SARU and the unions will cave and guarantee the Kings participation until 2015 when the current broadcast deal ends. And to do this they will either exclude the Lions for that period or force the last team, other than the Kings, to be involved in a knock-out game.

Jurie Roux has already paved the way for this to happen: “I’m sure that there will still be a lot of debate and proposals to the General Council about entrenchment, but that is a decision that the unions have to make.“