Talk:Lions (Super rugby franchise)

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[edit] Article title

The Cats and other South African Super 14 teams are franchises, not club. The article's title should be changed. Should it be changed to Cats (Super rugby franchise) like the New Zealand Super 14 teams or Cats (rugby union) like Welsh side Ospreys?

Eastpaw 9.35, 10 July 2006 (UTC+8)

[edit] Lions?

Why did they actually change their name? What was the reason given?

According to the Golden Lions, they conducted "in-depth market research". In other words, it was a branding exercise. Here's my take on the rationale: Before 2005, the two main unions connected with the franchise were the Golden Lions and Free State Cheetahs. The Cats roster drew heavily from both unions, and they split their home games between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein. When the latter team became the core of the new Vodacom Cheetahs franchise, the main reason for using the "Cats" name disappeared. All home games are now in Jo'burg, and a large majority of the players on the Super Rugby side are now drawn from the Golden Lions (although the two other unions associated with the Super Rugby side have feline nicknames, namely Leopards and Pumas). — Dale Arnett 01:40, 13 September 2006 (UTC)