Emboldened by new aspirations and with vital European experience under their belt, the Southern Kings will be gunning to start the PRO14 season with a bang against Italian outfit Zebre in Parma on September 1.
The Kings then have another away game against the Dragons in Wales on September 8, before their first home game against Ulster on Sunday September 16, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The full schedule for the marathon 21-game PRO14 season was released on Tuesday by the league’s chief executive, Martin Anayi, in Dublin.
Last season, the Kings were the whipping boys of the competition, and could win only one of their 21 matches after being hurt by their last-minute entry into the competition.
In a similar scenario to last season, the Kings are facing another battle to be ready after protracted sponsorship talks delayed vital player recruitment.
Because of complicated sponsorship talks, which are being held in conjunction with SA Rugby, the contracting of new players at the Kings has ground to a halt.
So far, the Kings have contracted 29 players, but it is believed more players have already been lined up if the new sponsor comes on board.
Twenty-five of the 29 squad members contracted for the Kings played for the Bay side last season, and it had been hoped that their ranks would have been boosted with fresh talent.
This season, however, many of the Kings squad will have the advantage of knowing what lies ahead of them when they play against European opponents.On paper, this looks like being a more gentle opener than the one which the Kings endured last season.
In the opening round last year, the Scarlets scored eight tries as the title holders comfortably saw off South Africa’s new boys 57-10.
This season, all 152 PRO14 matches will be shown live on television as the competition looks to strengthen its footprint in world rugby.
Anayi said it was an incredibly complex process to draw up the PRO14 fixtures.
“We’ve got 14 different teams from five countries. We’ve got cross-border trips and flights to and from SA.
“We also have to wait for the football fixtures because there are several joint venues.”