Super 14 franchises reconsidered

The five South African franchises for next year's Super 14 are to be reconsidered at a meeting next month.

The franchises were named a week ago, but drew an angry reaction from South Africa's Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile and led to a revolt by five senior members of the South African Rugby Union's management committee.

That Gang of Five, which includes Stofile's brother Mike, and former Springbok coach Andre Markgraaff, set up a meeting in Johannesburg yesterday, which was intended to set aside the decision and review it.

However, several provincial union administrators did not attend and Saru president Brian van Rooyen has called a meeting for May 7 to sort out what has become an embarrassing mess for the union.

The five successful applicants were franchises essentially comprising the current Super 12 teams: the Cats, Stormers, Sharks and the Bulls along with the Central Unions, led by Free State.