Super Rugby ruling body SANZAAR handed down a decision to return to the 15-team format for Super Rugby

In a news conference on Sunday, SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos announced a plan for three teams to be cut from Super Rugby next season. The new structure will be three conferences of five teams each. Australia will lose one team, and South Africa will lose two. The Sunwolves will be moved to the Australian conference, and the Jaguares will be in the South African conference. SANZAAR also announced that they will not decide what teams are cut. Instead, the host nations will be deciding who makes the cut.

This decision was made after continual complaints of the new system and travel schedule. The balance of the conferences was also an issue for many supporters. South Africa had a total of six teams in the competition, more than any other country. They also automatically had two playoff spots due to being broken up into two different conferences before last season. This was viewed negatively by many, especially considering the political issues in SAR.

What does this mean for the countries involved?

South Africa-

The most heavily affected country on the list was South Africa. The decision to reduce the South African teams was met positively by Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“As a rugby nation we need several strong franchises all of whom are in with a serious chance of challenging for the title and we could no longer say that. A reduction in the number of South African franchises was the unavoidable conclusion.”

South African franchises have struggled over the past two seasons from as Roux stated a “dilution of talent and resources across six franchises.” This decision will place 100 employees of the various franchises out of work. The positive aspect is that it will concentrate the best players to the four remaining franchises. It may also improve quality of players in the Currie Cup, South Africa’s domestic competition. The teams that are likely to get cut will be the Southern Kings and the Toyota Cheetahs. The Argentinian Jaguares will take the fifth spot in the South African conference. Only time will tell if the decision will work positively for South Africa or if their internal problems will continue.

Australia-

The other country that will lose a franchise will be the Australians. Last season Australia had the fewest teams in the Super Rugby playoffs. The ACT Brumbies were the only team to survive and lost in a home opener to the Highlanders. Australia has been suffering from a lack of interest in rugby union in recent years. Union has already sunk to being the seventh most popular sport to watch and isn’t in the top 10 to play (top end sports). In similar sports, union trails behind Australian Rules Football and National Rugby League in popularity. The fight for the soul of rugby is fading and the issues are deeper than the professional level.

The ARU has scheduled a press conference to address the decision for 9:30 AM local time. There will be no announcement of which team is to be cut at this time. The most likely teams will be either the Western Force or the Melbourne Rebels.

The Western Force CEO Mark Sinderberry is confident that his team will not be cut.

“We’re going to be financially independent of the ARU, and on top of that we’re the third biggest rugby community in Australia,” Sinderberry said. “To walk away from that would be a very brave man. We’re very confident about where we stand.”

Last year the Force finished 16 of 18th in Super Rugby with only the Sunwolves and Southern Kings finishing worse.

New Zealand-

New Zealand will remain largely unaffected by the changes to Super Rugby. All five teams will remain and New Zealand will be the only conference without a foreign team. This exemption was well earned as all New Zealand teams finished with more points than all but the top two teams from other conferences.

Japan and Argentina-

Both new countries survived the chopping block. The Sunwolves will benefit from an improved travel schedule being in the Australian conference. Argentina will remain largely unchanged as they will still be traveling to South Africa for most of their matches. Many fans from the big three nations believed that Super Rugby should shrink, but that the new countries should go. If there is any negative effect to be had, it would be that there may be some animosity from the more established nations.

United States of America-

Yes, there will be an effect on the US should the Southern Kings be cut. Douglas Schoninger was in negotiations to purchase the major share of the Southern Kings. The reason for the decision is not known, but theories abound. One theory is that he planned to use the Southern Kings to funnel both money and players into the fledgling PRO Rugby. Part of the rumored negotiated terms was that he would keep the Southern Kings in Super Rugby. If this falls through then he is not likely to become owner.

The effect is likely to be positive overall.

For fans, losing a team is a huge disappointment. For the nations involved the effect is likely to be a net gain. With fewer requirements for money and resources, Australia and South Africa will be able to concentrate on the teams they have. Condensing their needs will improve the quality of play and is likely to improve their level of competition. The results are yet to be seen and will not be for some time, but the fans have received their desire for a more compact competition.