South African rugby franchises Cheetahs and the Southern Kings will join an expanded Pro14 tournament "in time" for the '17-18 season, according to Phil Blanche of the London INDEPENDENT. The tournament -- which will be renamed the Guinness Pro14 Championship -- will be "split into two conferences of seven." Each conference will be made up of two Welsh and two Irish teams, with one representative each from Scotland, Italy and South Africa. In a joint statement, Celtic Rugby and the South African Rugby Union said, "The agreement means that the Championship will take place across the northern and southern hemispheres and marks the first phase of expansion as the Guinness PRO14 becomes a truly global tournament." The groups "have been based on last season's results" with the Ospreys, Cardiff Blues, Munster, Connacht, Glasgow, Zebre and the Cheetahs in Conference A. The Scarlets, Dragons, Leinster, Ulster, Edinburgh, Benetton Treviso and the Southern Kings will line up in Conference B (INDEPENDENT, 8/1). The PA reported the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs and the Southern Kings, from Port Elizabeth, "will play only on Saturdays and there will be five travel-free days before matches." The South African franchises "will not be able to qualify for Europe through their league placing." The top three non-South African sides from each conference will qualify for the Champions Cup, while the team with the highest points total outside of those six teams across both conferences will claim the final Champions Cup place (PA, 8/1). The BBC reported it is understood the addition of the two new teams will bring in an extra £6M ($7.9M) a year in revenue. Pro14 CEO Martin Anayi said, "South Africa is a rugby powerhouse of over 55 million people. These teams already operate to the high standards demanded by Super Rugby and they will add to the quality of our tournament." The South African teams lost their places in Super Rugby, "which is cutting from 18 teams to 15" (BBC, 8/1).
