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EP rugby boss Cheeky Watson is ecstatic after SA Rugby announced on Thursday that the Southern Kings will be playing Super Rugby in 2013.
The Kings inclusion in the competition comes at the expense of the Lions who will drop out of the competition.
"It's been a long dog fight. As Eastern Province Kings we thank the people of the Eastern Cape, we thank the Metro (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality), we thank the regional government for their support," Watson said.
He said the Kings won the vote by 23 to six.
"I think the work is just starting now. It's exciting but there "is a big job ahead," Watson said.
He also appealed to the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay to come and celebrate the Kings inclusion in the competition on Friday night when EP play Boland.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins, says “we made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment. The franchise represents more clubs than any other region – apart from the Stormers – and contains numerous leading rugby schools. It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade and a half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.
Saru CEO, Jurie Roux, said that the decision to apply a promotion and relegation system from 2013 was standard practice in sport.
"We operate promotion and relegation in all our Absa Currie Cup competitions, with the bottom-placed team being relegated unless it wins a play off," said Roux.
"Our strategic goal is to have six strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa and this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis."
Former Springbok Robbie Kempson says the inclusion of the Southern Kings is brilliant for the region and rugby fans who have been dying to have competitive rugby in the province for some time.
"It's taken a bit long for SA Rugby to get to this decision and it kind of puts the Southern Kings on the back foot as far as recruitment is concerned. But, I think for the local region and the supporters I think it's unbelievable that it's finally come to fruition," he said.
The Lions, who fall out next year, will have a chance to return the following year in a promotion/relegation play-off with the lowest ranked team.
Kempson said the Lions had been the "worst performing side over the last decade so it won't be a problem for anyone out there."
"Will the Southern Kings do any better than the Lions we won't know that until 2013 but they certainly can't do much worse," he said.
