Australian rugby boss, John O’Neil, has proposed that the Super 14 to be played over 26 weeks, instead of the current 16, with eight teams contesting a month-long final series in August.
Under the plans, all teams would play each other once, with the extra matches comprising crowd-pulling domestic derbies, providing the Western Force with 11 or 12 home games a season rather than six or seven. O’Neil has also suggested that Australia enters five teams, rather than four, to bring them in line with New Zealand and South Africa.
The proposals, which were expected to come into force in 2011, could begin as early as 2010, before the new rights contracts are negotiated, following a slide in television ratings in New Zealand and South Africa.
