The deal with the fifth nation to be included in the competition, South Africa, is set to run for at least the next six years and Davies believes that over that time it will blossom.
“The PRO12 were keen to expand the competition, to freshen it all up and to bring in a new element. The original plan was looking at North America, but then the situation with SANZAAR, and the two South African sides being left out of the future of Super Rugby, came up,” said Davies.
“They showed an interest in coming up to play in the northern hemisphere. That was appealing, given the same time difference, and it is going to be very new and very exciting.
“Some people were worried that after two years the South Africans might have looked to get out and partner with England in a new look Aviva Premiership. That’s why it was really important to nail things down and to make sure that there were no get outs.
“The commitment has come from South Africa and this competition is now going to run for six years. In that time we want to ensure it proves itself and will be on-going after that.
“World Rugby’s strategy is to grow the game in certain markets. North America is a leading market and Germany is another. Discussions have been on-going on that front, although nothing is cast in stone there as yet.
“By going down this road, in a new venture with a country from the southern hemisphere, it allows the competition to develop into a truly global tournament.”
It has been a long, hard summer for the administrators in shaping a brighter future for the professional club game across the four Celtic Nations and Italy and Davies is the first to admit there will be teething troubles and doubters.
But he believes the expanded competition will provide new challenges for the players and coaches and will bring a new level of excitement to a tournament that ended in a magnificent triumph for the Scarlets in Dublin in May.
“It is totally new. On the one hand people will relish the freshness of the competition, while some more cynical individuals will say it will never work,” admitted Davies.
“But everybody who has been involved in the discussions is very much behind it. South Africa are one of the top rugby playing nations in the word and we have two of their top sides playing in the new PRO14.
“The South African Rugby Union are very supportive and committed to it and all the PRO12 nations are excited. It is going to be a new challenge for the players and coaches.
“We have protected all the local derbies and, all in all, it has come out as a fresh, exciting competition. If I was still a player I would be very excited by it.
“It has brought in extra revenue, which is important. There has been criticism of the PRO12 in the past, much of which I feel has been undeserved, claiming it needs to be freshened up.
“But it can only be freshened up in so many ways. It was never going to be a straight, home and away league because there simply aren’t enough weekends available.
“The Conference system is used in many other international tournaments, football and cricket among them, and we are only following other patterns that are dictated by distance and availability of weekends.
“It isn’t as complicated as the southern hemisphere competitions. It will be strange at first, but the organisers have been very sympathetic in terms of ensuring fairness while still retaining the local derbies.”
