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Cape Town - Australian and New Zealand rugby authorities are working behind the scenes to divorce themselves from Super Rugby in 2016 - and form their own Australasian competition.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that South Africa’s insistence on an expansion to accommodate the Lions and Kings is at the heart of the displeasure, with Australia and New Zealand believing the competition should not extend beyond 15 teams.
South Africa would then play its own competition with Argentina or possibly look to a competition within Europe.
If the new proposal were to be given the green light, it would be
implemented when new broadcasting deals come into effect in 2016.
However, it's believed that Sanzar wants the decision finalised by the end of the current season so that the respective parties have time to plan ahead.
The push has been engineered by the South African Rugby Union (SARU), who have two teams, the Kings and Lions, locked in a hugely unpopular promotion-relegation battle to decide which one takes the SA Conference's fifth spot in Super Rugby next year. SARU wants to enlarge its permanent footprint to six teams, an increase that would render the conference system unworkable.
The possibility of a split Is one of three secret proposals being discussed among the SANZAR nations of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, with input from Argentina.
All parties are believed to be in favour of working out a solution that includes South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, but SARU’s domestic political environment is proving the sticking point.
