Super Rugby

The South African Rugby Union confirmed today (Friday) that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings will be cut from the next season of Super Rugby as the franchise-based rugby union competition downsizes by three teams to 15.

South African Super Rugby teams the Cheetahs and Southern Kings could join the Pro12 pan-European club competition as early as September this year, according to the BBC.

RugbyWA, the governing body of the sport in Western Australia, has agreed to drop its legal action against the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) over the fate of Super Rugby franchise Western Force in favour of pursuing arbitration proceedings.

Super Rugby franchise Western Force has today (Monday) hit out at multiple reports suggesting it will be the Australian team cut as a result of a reduction in size of the southern hemisphere rugby union tournament.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) national governing body has struck a deal to sell the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby franchise to private investment group Imperium Sports Management.

The addition of Argentine and Japanese franchises to the Super Rugby pan-regional club competition was officially confirmed today (Thursday), with Tokyo set to share hosting rights to the latter team with Singapore.

Japan is set to host Super Rugby’s 18th team when the pan-regional club competition expands in 2016 after organiser Sanzar confirmed today (Friday) that the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) had edged out a rival bid from Singapore.

International Rugby Board chief executive Brett Gosper has admitted that the governing body would like a Japanese team to join the Super Rugby club rugby union tournament.

Sanzar’s bid to establish a Super Rugby expansion franchise in the Asian market has suffered a blow with Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) president Trevor Gregory stating the continent is not ready to host a team.

Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive Bill Pulver has rejected talk that the governing body’s plans for a National Rugby Championship are in peril, while the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) has exited talks over a radical restructuring of provincial rugby in the country.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew has moved to allay fears over player welfare through the planned expansion of Super Rugby, adding that new teams in South Africa and Argentina will boost broadcast revenues and enhance the development of the game.

Super Rugby organiser Sanzar has announced that a “preferred model” has been drawn up for the southern hemisphere rugby union competition to expand to 17 teams from 2016 through the addition of new clubs from Argentina and South Africa.

Australian Super Rugby franchises New South Wales Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels are considering merging their operations, according to Fairfax Media.

Argentina is hoping to launch a team in the Super Rugby southern hemisphere rugby union club competition in 2016, according to the national union’s communications manager Guillermo Quevedo.

Auckland-based Super Rugby team The Blues has appointed former Hamilton mayor Michael Redman as its new chief executive officer.