They were created in 2009, and had their first match against the British and Irish Lions during their 2009 tour.
They are based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and play their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. In addition, the following juniors are contracted to the Southern Kings for the The following coaching team was announced for the The Southern Kings (known for sponsorship reasons as the Isuzu Southern Kings) is a South African professional rugby union team competing in Pro14. For the 2013 season, the Kings' catchment area was made up of the In 2005, there was an attempt to bring a The Kings made their Super Rugby debut on 23 February 2013, when they played in a Round Two match against Australian side the The Kings' top try scorer in the competition was Wimpie van der Walt, who got six tries and their top points scorer was Demetri Catrakilis, who scored 151 points. In the 2019–20 rugby union season, the The Southern Kings coaching and management staff for the 2019–20 Pro14 season are: However, despite three victories and a draw, the Kings finished bottom of the South African Conference and had to play a two-legged After the end of the 2013 Super Rugby season, the Kings lost several players to other teams. After competing in Super Rugby in 2013, 2016 and 2017, they joined Pro14 prior to the 2017–18 season, along with the Cheetahs. The Southern Kings squad for the 2019–20 Pro14 is:The final Conference B log standings were:The table below shows the Southern Kings' progression throughout the season. Director of Rugby Having lost the promotion/relegation play-off to the Their return to Super Rugby was beset by financial problems, with players' salaries being paid late in four consecutive months between August and November 2015.The Kings made their return to Super Rugby on 27 February 2016, when they hosted the This announcement came too late to ensure squad continuity, with more than 30 players leaving the franchise. In the 2019–20 rugby union season, the Southern Kings participated in the 2019–20 Pro14 competition, their third appearance since joining the competition in 2017–18. Following round 13 the league was suspended until 22 August due to the The Pro14 appearance record for players that represented the Southern Kings in 2019–20 is as follows:
For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the conference position: On 15 August 2017 – a fortnight before the competition started – the Kings announced that head coach In August 2018, car manufacturer The Southern Kings full playing record in all competitions are: They remained in Conference B of the competition, which in 2019–20 featured Irish sides Connacht and Munster, Italian side Benetton, Scottish side Edinburgh and Welsh sides Cardiff Blues and Scarlets.