The newly appointed President’s Council will recommend to the SA Rugby Union (Saru) board to set up an enquiry into the issue of the Southern Spears’ guaranteed participation in the Super 14 competition for the next two years.
The President’s Council met for the first time on Friday since last month’s Saru elections.
The council feel it is vital to look at the viability of the franchise’s Super 14 engagement and their state of readiness for next year.
A further recommendation will be that there should be no relegation or promotion of the existing franchises at the end of this season.
“Either way, we are committed to helping them make it into the big league – whether they take part in the Sanzar tournament now or later,” said Saru president Oregan Hoskins.
“The enquiry will help us make an informed decision on the way forward for the Spears.”
The initial concept was that the bottom finishing South African team would fall out of the competition next year and would be replaced by the Spears.
The new franchise would then be guaranteed their place in the competition for at least two years. Hoskins, however, was one of those opposed to the concept which was negotiated by former Saru president Brian van Rooyen.
