The Future of Super Rugby

From Planet Rugby recently Super Rugby will be now S20,6 SA,5NZ,5 Aus,plus 4 others.
Usual home and away basis plus 3 stage knockout with SA guaranteed at least one at
knockout stage.
Sanzar has bowed to Sarfu and it seems to me have spread the cake even thinner.
Thoughts any one?

Hi Alan,
Yeah its all got a bit convaluted, too many agenda's and just games all over the globe all in aid of finding something of a winner. I think fans are going to start not bothering. I mean we're not going to care about what's happening outside ANZAC until it actually means something. I thought it was 18- 6/5/5 and two South Americam teams or something like that.

Yup it is to go up to 18 but end a week earlier than it does now!! Go figure.

Yep. More teams, shorter season. Essentially as I understand it:
4 pools.
1 in NZ with the existing 5 NZ teams
1 in Australia with the existing 5 Australian teams
2 in South Africa. These include the existing 5 teams, the southern Kings, an Argentinian team and another side to be determined by tender. Locations talked about include Southern Europe (e.g. Spain), Asia (e.g. Hong Kong or Japan) and North America (e.g. USA or Canada). Presumably another SA team or a second Argentinian team is an option. It wont be a Pacific Island team. I think money (i.e. location will determine it).

It's a bit like the NFL layout. You play each team in your pool twice, and each team in your neighbors once. Each SA pool will play NZ/Australian pools on alternate years. Top teams qualify, followed by 2nd SA team and 2,3 and 4 Australasian sides. Or something like that.

blackcanelion wrote:Yep. More teams, shorter season. Essentially as I understand it:
4 pools.
1 in NZ with the existing 5 NZ teams
1 in Australia with the existing 5 Australian teams
2 in South Africa. These include the existing 5 teams and southern Kings and another side to be determined by tender. Locations talked about include Southern Europe (e.g. Spain), Asia (e.g. Hong Kong or Japan) and North America (e.g. USA or Canada). Presumably another SA team or Argentinian team is an option. It wont be a Pacific Island team. I think money (i.e. location will determine it).

It's a bit like the NFL layout. You play each team in your pool twice, and each team in your neighbors once. Each SA pool will play NZ/Australian pools on alternate years. Top teams qualify, followed by 2nd SA team and 2,3 and 4 Australasian sides. Or something like that.

Argentinian team would be questionable unless the ARU are prepared to dole out top level wages to draw the players back from Europe. Same with Japan although they have huge bucks and could be a future sap on big players especially after their world cup.

Isn't it 8 teams in the SA pools so 5 existing + kings + Argie team + 1 other TBC?

ebop wrote:Isn't it 8 teams in the SA pools so 5 existing + kings + Argie team + 1 other TBC?

Yeh, brain ahead of my typing. I'll change it now.

We've looked briefly at this in the club forum

https://www.606v2.com/t53478-super-18