Soon-to-be-discarded Super Rugby franchises the Cheetahs and Kings will reportedly join an expanded Pro12 competition when the season kicks off in September.
The two teams are likely to be cut when the South African Rugby Union meets to decide on the future of its Super Rugby conference on July 7.
According to reports out of Europe, the two teams will join domestic teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy in a new-look Pro 12 competition.
It could see the Pro 12 split into two conferences or an alternating hosting schedule such as the one initially adopted by the original Super 12.
A move north has been mooted by the South African Super Rugby conference for some time as it's more suitable in time difference and there's a bigger financial benefit due to the value of the broadcast rights and the time at which the games would be broadcast
However, given the similarities, the one thing yet to be discussed is travel time which is still considerable.
This is why there is still speculation around the hosting of home games with the Cheetahs and Kings potentially hosting matches in London.
What happens to the next tier of rugby competitions, the European Champions Cup and the European Challenge Cup and whether they'd be eligible for inclusion is also not yet known.
An Australian team is also set to be dropped by Sanzaar, however that's unlikely to be determined until the end of July.
Newshub.
