A new Super Rugby format has been released by SANZAR while Australian Super Rugby franchise bosses were will locked away in a meeting, discussing it’s merits.
In a rude shock to the Australian Super Rugby bosses, SANZAR has decided to plough ahead with it’s 18 team structure for the 2016 Super Rugby competition, onwards. The model for the restructured competition, the details of which were revealed on Wednesday, will be taken to potential broadcasters for key rights negotiations.
Along with the 15 current teams, and the adition of the Southern Kings from South Africa, an Argentine side and a undecided team will be added. The 18th side is yet to be agreed apon, but the ARU are hoping it goes to an Asian team to massively increase the sales of broacasting rights.
The Australian franchises and Rugby Union Players Association have been opponents of the four group model which will see an additional division in South Africa. They were meeting with ARU boss Bill Pulver in a regular chief executives meeting when news broke in New Zealand on Thursday afternoon.
New Zealand are supporters of the new model, claiming that this will lessen the burden of travel on their team, but the ARU has been urged to walk away from the partnership by other senior officials claiming it would be in Australia’s best interests to do so.
The new format will see teams from the Australasian conference playing teams from just one of the groups in the South African conference in the new 15-game competition.
“This is the best option to evolve what is already a fantastic competition and one that continues to deliver for fans, teams, players and sponsors,” said NZRU boss Steve Tew.
“From a player point of view it was important that we managed the travel of the teams. We needed a platform that ensured our best players could continue to perform at their peak. Equally keeping South Africa in the regular competition was an important part of what makes Super Rugby. With a later start and one less match for each team in the competition, we believe we have got the balance right.”
The new competition will see an increase from 120, to 135 regular season games, while the finals will increase from six to eight teams.
The play-offs — held in a sudden-death format over three weeks — will feature five teams from the Australasian conference and three from the South African-based groups. All four group winners will automatically advance to the finals series plus the next three highest-ranked teams in the Australasian groups and the next best team from the South African group.