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SATURDAY night looms as the final time the Queensland Reds will clash with the Lions, as the lowly South African team is set to be axed at season's end.
The Lions culling will put their coach John Mitchell out of a job, six years after he pillaged the Reds' playing list to prop up a fledgling Western Force team.
Mitchell faces an enormous task to steer the Lions to a boilover at Suncorp Stadium this weekend, with his young team last placed after losing to the lowly Auckland Blues last Friday night.
If the Lions finish the year with a wooden spoon, the SA Rugby Union (SARU) will drop the Johannesburg team from Super Rugby in favour of the Southern Kings who will be based in the Eastern Cape. The Southern Kings are aimed at developing rugby in the football-mad Cape region.
The Lions' demotion comes as a result of the SARU prematurely guaranteeing the Kings a Super Rugby place before they had secured an extension to the number of teams.
SANZAR has denied the SARU's proposal to increase the competition to 16 teams because Super Rugby was sold to sponsors and broadcasters as a conference format with five teams in each.
The move has caused the South African Government to fret.
"It is important that SA Rugby urgently finds an amicable solution as the cloud of uncertainty and anxiety is weighing very heavily on the players and franchises which will be affected and impacted upon by their decision," South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said.
When Mitchell becomes jobless he could be touted as a replacement for sacked Force coach Richard Graham, who begins work with the Reds in September.
Another former All Black John Kirwan, who resigned as Japan's head coach following the Rugby World Cup, publicly revealed his interest in the vacant Force position yesterday.
However, the Force's main target Michael Cheika was confirmed as leaving his coaching post at Stade Francais yesterday, prompting reports he had already agreed to terms with the Force.
The Waratahs approached Craig Wing to play in a NSW Barbarians side against Scotland before pulling the pin on the fixture to avoid losing money.
Waratahs CEO Jason Allen yesterday confirmed a mooted game against the touring Scots on Sunday, June 10, at Allianz Stadium, had been cancelled due to a lack of financial viability, and the likelihood a non-Super Rugby strength side would have to be fielded
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Originally Posted by todd4
