MONDAY, 1.00PM:
NATAL Rugby Union president Keith Parkinson on Sunday denied reports that the four unions which rejected Sarfu’s proposal for a regionalised team for next year’s Super-12 had accepted the proposal. He said the four rugby unions — Natal, Free State, Transvaal and Western Province — agreed to withdraw the application for a meeting on August 5, provided the other unions agreed to suspend the Super-12 decision to accept the proposal at the Sarfu executive meeting on July 4.
”The president of Sarfu undertook to vigorously pursue the expansion of the Super-12 by including a fifth South African team at a meeting of Sanzar in Melbourne this Friday. The president also confirmed that it was not Sarfu’s intention that major unions should be financially prejudiced by the new regional structures,” said Parkinson.
Sarfu’s statement last week claimed that the provinces had accepted the regionalisation unconditionally and had agreed to withdraw the application for a special meeting.