- Former Lions president Kevin de Klerk has mixed feelings over the end of Super Rugby in its current form.
- De Klerk presided over the franchise's golden era in the tournament, where they reached three consecutive finals, and is proud over their legacy.
- A former Springbok lock, he also wonders whether PRO Rugby can offer the local game the same competitiveness as in the southern hemisphere.
Kevin de Klerk, the former Lions president who presided over the franchise's golden era in Super Rugby between 2015 and 2018, has - in his customary measured manner - lamented the so-called death of the tournament.
SA Rugby on Tuesday confirmed that its general council has given a mandate for the federation to pursue the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers' potential participation in an expanded PRO16, effectively ending Super Rugby's 25-year existence.
"I believe there will be conflicting emotions from most people about this news," De Klerk told Sport24 on Wednesday.
"By all accounts going to the northern hemisphere is going to be better for player welfare. The travel to Australasia took it out of our players, I experienced it first hand. It's also a new challenge for our teams, to adapt to new conditions and come up with new game plans."
Yet the former Springbok lock wonders what effect a relative lack of regular competition might do to South Africa's competitiveness.
"I'm still a firm believer that Super Rugby's standards can't be replicated anywhere else," said De Klerk.
"Our teams were exposed weekly to New Zealand and Australian opposition and it made us better. I'm not sure if the competition in Europe can quite match that.
"We saw how the Springboks outplayed the English in the World Cup final. It revealed somewhat of a gulf. Hopefully our entry into PRO Rugby will make the tournament more competitive."
Amidst the inevitable sadness that part of local rugby's DNA is now gone, there's also much to celebrate in terms of nostalgia.
De Klerk is immensely proud to have been associated with the Lions' success during what, in hindsight, became the twilight years of the tournament.
"To reach three consecutive finals was simply fantastic. It was such an immense team-driven effort. Everyone contributed," he said.
"The thing that should make us the proudest is how we changed our legacy for the good. We had some really difficult times, especially after being relegated in 2012. But everyone brought into a vision where we just strived to become better and consistently raise our standards.
"On a broader level, I enjoyed the match-ups. I enjoyed waking up early with thousands of other fans to watch our teams compete. Super Rugby was a fine product."