WELLINGTON • A ruthless shake-up is on the cards after New Zealand Rugby (NZR) yesterday revealed plans to cull South African teams and Argentina's Jaguares from Super Rugby next year.
The planned revamp of the flagship Southern Hemisphere club tournament would comprise the five existing domestic teams, two to four from Australia and one newcomer from the Pacific Islands, giving it a strong trans-Tasman focus.
South Africa, which co-founded Super Rugby in 1996 with Australia and New Zealand, would see its five teams dumped, along with the Jaguares.
The competition, which at one stage had 18 teams, has long been criticised for being unwieldy, expensive to run, exhausting for elite players and difficult for fans to follow, and the coronavirus pandemic has compounded those problems.
Japan's Sunwolves, who have also played games in Hong Kong and at Singapore's National Stadium, were the first victims of the Covid-19 crisis after a five-year run.
Last month, Sunwolves bowed out of Super Rugby, having failed to join the Australian offshoot of the tournament, which has been put on ice indefinitely since March due to global travel restrictions.
Both New Zealand and Australia have formed domestic spin-offs as a result - Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU - but there has been no news about a South African competition.
On the further streamlining, NZR chief executive Mark Robinson blamed the pandemic for the "extremely tough" decisions, explaining that long-haul travel was now impossible.
He was also unable to provide details of whether governing body Sanzaar would oversee the new competition, the club ownership structure or even whether it would still be called Super Rugby.
However, Robinson believes his proposal will revitalise the game, as some of the games in its current format "put me to sleep".
Rugby Australia acknowledged NZR's plans and said it recognised the need to review the "sustainability and practicality" in the current environment. South Africa Rugby said it would give a full response next week.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
