South Africa's Super Rugby teams are threatening to boycott the competition next year if any of them are excluded over the inclusion of a new franchise.
The teams have written to the South African Rugby Union demanding the expansion of the 2013 championship to 16 teams if South African officials insist on including newcomers the Southern Kings from Eastern Cape, the province with the most black rugby players.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins says he will forward the letter to the nine other unions involved in the contest and that it "will be in the hands of all unions to decide which teams will play in the Super Rugby series".
