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Exclusive: Southern Hemisphere looks set to compete in Anglo-Welsh Cup
By Alex Shaw
Following on from our exclusive earlier this month that the South African Rugby Union (SARU) were in advanced talks to create two new franchises to be entered into the Anglo-Welsh Cup from the 2018/19 season, RugbyPass understands that the Griquas and Pumas are currently the two leading candidates.
The two new franchises would be built around the two existing teams, both of whom played in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup this season.
The Griquas, who are based in Kimberley in the Northern Cape region of South Africa, finished bottom of the pile in the Premier Division this season and face a promotion/relegation playoff with the Griffons this weekend to maintain their place in South Africa's top flight.
The Pumas finished one spot above the Griquas on the log this season, ensuring their presence in the competition in 2018. They play out of Nelspruit in Mpumalanga Province and both teams are located in areas of South Africa that have not seen Super Rugby or Guinness PRO14 representation.
The Pumas hug the border with Swaziland and Mozambique and are situated around 200 miles east of the Bulls in Pretoria, whilst the Griquas are located roughly 100 miles west of the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
If successful, not only would this move see SARU continue its shift to the northern hemisphere competitions - and the preferable time zones and more lucrative broadcast deals that come with it - but it would also increase the rugby exposure of two provinces that boast a combined population of over 5,500,000 people.
Premier Rugby Limited does not currently have a desire to incorporate South African sides into the Premiership, as the PRO14 has done, but the introduction of two sides - likely the Griquas and Pumas - into the Anglo-Welsh Cup would be a way for them to test the waters over any potential future involvement in their flagship competition.
SARU are set to meet in the coming weeks to finalise plans for their bid for involvement in the competition.
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