SOUTHERN KINGS FANS IN FOR A TREAT AS TICKETS FOR GUINNESSPRO14 LAUNCHES

: From Left to Right Mpho Mokonyama, Nelson Mandel Bay Stadium Manager, Honourable Mayor Athol Trollip, Charl Crous, COO Southern Kings, CJ Velleman and Freddy Ngoza, Southern Kings players PHOTO: OLGA WILLIAMS

Southern Kings rugby fans in particular and Eastern Cape rugby fans in general are in for a treat and will be able to watch their favourite team against world class opponents as the Guinness PRO14 comes to South Africa, with tickets to this exciting new addition to the rugby calendar available immediately.

The Southern Kings will be in action in the magnificent Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium no less than 10 times, taking on the best teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy, as well as a local derby against the Toyota Cheetahs. Their opening match will be on Saturday, 16 September, when they take on Irish powerhouse, Leinster.

The Southern Kings on Thursday announced a wide range of ticket options for these matches, which will allow all rugby supporters the ideal opportunity to come and watch some of the best players in the world taking to the field against the Southern Kings in an iconic stadium.

There will also be a first-time offering of scholars’ tickets to be purchased and according to Southern Kings Chief Operations Officer, Charl Crous, the whole pricing structure is aimed at making this international competition really affordable and allowing supporters and especially families the opportunity to experience the match day action live from their seats within the NMB stadium.

“We will be playing against some of the best teams in world rugby and this promises to be an exciting era awaiting not only the Kings, but the spectators as well. We have some exciting competitions and fan engagement initiatives planned for this season which will add to the excitement being created by this competition and the quality of rugby produced by the players on the field.”

Southern Kings Head Coach, Deon Davids, urged fans to come and support the team: “There is no doubt, as we saw earlier this year, that our team plays at its best when they have local support. We are grateful to those who came out in numbers this year and I am confident that they will come back for more when we play against all these world stars in the Guinness PRO14.

“The Kings want to do well in this competition and we will need the support of all our fans in order to achieve this. There are really so many world stars in action and every opposing team will bring their own brand of play and particular skills set said Davids.”

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Manager, Mpho Mokonyama, also promised a full rugby experience to those coming to the stadium.

“We have had some wonderful matches already this year, including an amazing Test match, but the good news is that there is more to come,” said Mokonyama.

“We will again do our utmost to make sure every visit to the stadium is a memorable one, not only with the Southern Kings on the field, but also for the experience off the field. Fans must have the ultimate experience and always want to come back for more and we will be working very hard to make that possible.”

The Southern Kings will take on Leinster (Ireland), Zebre (Italy), Ulster (Ireland), Scarlets (Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland), Dragons (Wales), Benetton (Italy) and Cardiff Blues (Wales) as well as the Toyota Cheetahs.

Tickets will be available from Thursday 7 September.

The pricing structure is:

Royal Lounge Season Ticket (R1 295) - Only available to purchase from the Stadium TicketPro Office

Royal Lounge Match Day Ticket (R150) - Available to purchase online at www.ticketpros.co.za and all TicketPro outlets.

East Stand – Adults (R50) - Available to purchase online at www.ticketpros.co.za and all TicketPro outlets.

West Stand – Adults (R60) - Available to purchase online at www.ticketpros.co.za and all TicketPro outlets

East and West Stand - Scholar (R20) – Only available to purchase from the Stadium TicketPro Office

The following fixtures are applicable:

16/09/2017: Leinster 14:15

23/09/2017: Zebre Rugby 19:35

04/11/2017: Ulster Rugby 17:00

26/11/2017: Scarlets 15:00

01/12/2017: Edinburgh Rugby 19:15

13/01/2018: Toyota Cheetahs 17:00

02,03,04/03/2018: Dragons Time TBC

23,24,25/03/2018: Benetton Rugby Time TBC

06,07,08/04/2018: Munster Rugby Time TBC

13,14,15/04/2018: Cardiff Blues Time TBC

27,28,29/04/2018: Toyota Cheetahs Time TBC