A former Newport and Springboks prop is behind an audacious bid to bring All Blacks superstar Julian Savea to the Guinness PRO14 this summer.
And Robbie Kempson, who packed down at Rodney Parade in the 1999-2000 season, is reportedly ready to offload as many as 20 players from the Southern Kings squad to land the Toulon wing.
Kempson, who also played for Ulster and Northampton Saints as well as the Sharks and Stormers in his homeland, has recently been appointed the Kings' new high-performance director.
And he's planning a rugby revolution at the struggling PRO14 outfit, beginning with a reported move to sign Savea.
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South African newspaper Rapport negotiations between the Kings and Toulon over a move for Savea started over the weekend.
Earlier the clubs announced they had agreed on a memorandum of understanding, which will see a close working relationship between them.
Savea is in the first season of a two-year deal at Toulon and is reported to be earning £850,000 per season.
But the 54-times capped All Black, who has scored 46 tries for the world champions, has been on the periphery of the Toulon side since controversial owner Mourad Boudjellal suggested he was no longer welcome at the club.
He has started just one French Top 14 game in the last six weeks, and was a late second half substitute last weekend for Toulon's upset win over leaders Toulouse.
He would not only be a marquee signing for the Kings, but the PRO14, with the South African club being the whipping boys since joining the competition in the 2017-18 season.
They've won just three games in their first two seasons and drew 18-18 with fellow strugglers the Dragons on Sunday.
They're bottom but one in Conference B with only the Rodney Parade region below them.
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