URC boss dismisses Cheetahs' 'B-division' hopes

United Rugby Championship (URC) CEO Martin Anayi has dismissed talks of a possible "B division" for the competition.

This comes after Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie suggested after their Currie Cup win over WP that they were hopeful of competing in a second division URC event.

However, Anayi dismissed the idea during a virtual media briefing with reporters.

"It's not on the cards," Anayi said when probed about the 'B division' talks. "We have a real job on our hands... to make the URC as good as it can possibly be and we are getting there. So, I think, not for the present..."

Anayi did, however, have sympathy for the Cheetahs, who contested the PRO14 between 2017 and 2020.

"We do love the Cheetahs, by the way," Anayi added. "They are a big part of our history, and if we can help them in any way to find a competition that does work for them, you can rest assured that we would do that.

"But [there are] no plans for the URC second division at the moment."

Meanwhile, Cheetahs CEO Ross van Reenen told Netwerk24 that he'll keep fighting to get the franchise international exposure.

Van Reenen said they were looking at getting teams like the Crusaders from New Zealand and Australian and Japanese outfits to play in a Toyota Challenge event.

Plans are for two such events this year.

For the moment, though, the Cheetahs have to be content with Currie Cup rugby, where they've done well by winning all seven of their games to date.

They trail the first-place Bulls by one point on the log but have a game in hand.