From an article on the Fox Sports website about the SANZAAR meeting in London to take place on Friday UK time.
DON’T expect any big announcements when SANZAAR chiefs complete their key meeting about the ailing Super Rugby competition on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
Representatives from the Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina rugby governing bodies will meet in London to consider detail of several options to fix the ungainly and uneven format which has left many fans disillusioned.
But they won’t be able to announce any decision then.
All will have to report back to their national boards and also consult the other stakeholders involved before changes can be confirmed.
Deputy chairman Brett Robinson is representing the Australian Rugby Union at the meeting, where one option will be culling some of the 18 teams, including one Australian side, possibly the Western Force, Brumbies or Melbourne Rebels.
Super Rugby’s current woes stem from the disastrous move to a lopsided four-conference format as the addition of the Kings from South Africa, Sunwolves from Japan and Jaguares from Argentina expanded the competition from 15 teams to 18.
Bizarrely it meant some teams from South Africa could make the playoffs without facing any of the five teams from the powerhouse New Zealand conference.
There is little doubt change is needed.
The questions are in what form and when.
It’s understood the ARU’s preference would be for a combined Australia and New Zealand conference which would keep all five Australian teams, while the South Africans would be involved at the playoffs stage.
It would provide Australian fans with popular derbies and trans-Tasman clashes while losing the largely-unwatched matches in South Africa played in the early hours of Australian time.
How realistic that is, is far less clear.
New Zealand prizes its rugby relationship and competition with great traditional foe South Africa.
When to make change is a big issue to be considered.
Do the decision-makers risk alienating fans further and cop more team financial losses by hanging on until the current broadcasting deal expires at the end of the 2020 season?
Or do they seek approval, including from broadcasters, to make changes as early as next season?
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/d...e/news-story/0132d4a047633fc82ed265ddbdc6e7cd
Nothing surprising about that article as far as i'm concerned. Either way things need to change. Can't have a competition where four teams miss the Australian sides each year and four teams miss the New Zealand sides each year during the regular season. Alongside the word ''unwatched,'' you could put poorly attended when South African sides play in Australia.
DON’T expect any big announcements when SANZAAR chiefs complete their key meeting about the ailing Super Rugby competition on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
Representatives from the Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina rugby governing bodies will meet in London to consider detail of several options to fix the ungainly and uneven format which has left many fans disillusioned.
But they won’t be able to announce any decision then.
All will have to report back to their national boards and also consult the other stakeholders involved before changes can be confirmed.
Deputy chairman Brett Robinson is representing the Australian Rugby Union at the meeting, where one option will be culling some of the 18 teams, including one Australian side, possibly the Western Force, Brumbies or Melbourne Rebels.
Super Rugby’s current woes stem from the disastrous move to a lopsided four-conference format as the addition of the Kings from South Africa, Sunwolves from Japan and Jaguares from Argentina expanded the competition from 15 teams to 18.
Bizarrely it meant some teams from South Africa could make the playoffs without facing any of the five teams from the powerhouse New Zealand conference.
There is little doubt change is needed.
The questions are in what form and when.
It’s understood the ARU’s preference would be for a combined Australia and New Zealand conference which would keep all five Australian teams, while the South Africans would be involved at the playoffs stage.
It would provide Australian fans with popular derbies and trans-Tasman clashes while losing the largely-unwatched matches in South Africa played in the early hours of Australian time.
How realistic that is, is far less clear.
New Zealand prizes its rugby relationship and competition with great traditional foe South Africa.
When to make change is a big issue to be considered.
Do the decision-makers risk alienating fans further and cop more team financial losses by hanging on until the current broadcasting deal expires at the end of the 2020 season?
Or do they seek approval, including from broadcasters, to make changes as early as next season?
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/d...e/news-story/0132d4a047633fc82ed265ddbdc6e7cd
Nothing surprising about that article as far as i'm concerned. Either way things need to change. Can't have a competition where four teams miss the Australian sides each year and four teams miss the New Zealand sides each year during the regular season. Alongside the word ''unwatched,'' you could put poorly attended when South African sides play in Australia.