Plans to introduce a draft system in South African rugby could radically transform the struggling Southern Kings ahead of the new PRO14 season.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said a new system that would allow more players to be available to South Africa’s PRO14 teams was close to becoming a reality.
This year, the Kings lacked depth in several key positions in what proved to be a disastrous debut season in the PRO14.
They could win only one of their 21 matches, and became the whipping boys in the competition.
In their last game of the campaign, an injury-ravaged Kings side produced a fighting display before going down to the Cheetahs at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
A lack of depth meant that the Kings could not field three backline reserves.
There have been calls for some time now for SA Rugby to introduce a draft to allow top players to be shared among the franchises.
‘We are talking about a drafting system,” Alexander said.
“At our next franchise meeting, we are hopefully going to get the finalisation.
“We presented it, and made a couple of tweaks. We are almost there to get that contracting model out.
“SA Rugby are putting a capping on the contracting of players. We’ve got a contracting model about to be approved. In that contracting model, a lot of players will become available to other teams like the Kings and the Cheetahs.
“In any position, you’ll have three or four players for that position.“The No 4 and No 5 player never get an opportunity to play.
“That kid can be drafted by another union and have game time, so we can have the best players playing rugby every week and not some of the best players sitting in the storeroom,” Alexander said.
Former Springbok coach Jake White is a strong advocate of a draft system being introduced because it would spread available talent to more teams.
White said this system would help local franchises be more competitive, particularly against the sides from New Zealand, which have dominated Super Rugby over the years.
“Our preparation for our last game against the Cheetahs sums up the challenges that we are sitting with here at the Kings,” Davids said.
“I am hopeful that we will we be able to address the situation – it looked like a hospital at the stadium before the Cheetahs game.
“All the players who took to the field against the Cheetahs were players who were available, the rest of the players were injured. We also could not field three backline reserves as a result of all the injuries.”
He said about 17 of the current squad would be contracted for next season.
Since their last PRO14 game against the Cheetahs there has been little or no news coming out of the Southern Kings camp regarding new signings.
It is known that the Kings have a wish-list of players they want to sign, but it is a closely guarded secret.
The only new signings announced by the Kings are Sarel Pretorius (scrumhalf), and locks JC Astle and Schalk Oelofse.