Australian club to be axed from Super Rugby, speculation it will be Western Force

Updated

It has been confirmed an Australian club is set to be axed from the Super Rugby Competition, with speculation growing that it will be the Western Force.

Just minutes after the siren sounded in the Force's 46 to 41 victory over South Africa's Southern Kings, the competition's governing body SANZAAR confirmed a restructure for next year, with one team from Australia and two from South Africa set to be cut.

Players from both sides had taken to the field knowing that their futures were uncertain with the SANZAAR announcement pending.

Speculation has been rife for weeks that the Force is the Australian side on the chopping block, with many believing it to be a race between the WA club and the Melbourne Rebels.

The Australian Rugby Union is set to hold a media conference, but it is believed to be unlikely that a final decision has been made.

Instead, it is expected the ARU will undergo a process to determine the best decision for the sport.

Force stalwart Matt Hodgson was moved to tears when asked about what the death of the Force would mean for the sport in WA, in particular for youngsters who previously may have aspired to play elite rugby.

"Being a parent myself, you don't know where to put your kid now. Do I put him in rugby or do I put him to stay in Western Australia playing AFL, so it's frustrating," Hodgson said.

"I think the way it's been done is probably the most annoying thing, it's dragged on.

"I've done four press conferences this week and I've had one rugby question.

"For kids to turn up here that's great, but now they don't know if the Western Force is going to be their future."

The Force is currently owned by the ARU after recent financial difficulties, which has led many to believe cutting the Perth based side will be the easiest option, as opposed to the privately-owned Rebels.

The Force joined the competition in 2006 and was immensely popular in its early years, attracting impressive crowds.

But since the club has performed poorly on the field, as well as facing off-field controversies, financial issues, and declining attendances and public interest.

The Force argues that a strong sponsorship base, and its recent history of developing local talent, should see it stay in the competition.

Topics: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia

First posted</s>SYDNEY, April 9 (Reuters) - Three teams, one from Australia and two from South Africa, will be axed from Super Rugby as the mainly southern hemisphere competition reverts to 15 teams for next season, governing body SANZAAR said on Sunday.

The South African and Australian unions will make the decision over which of their teams will go but the Perth-based Western Force, Bloemfontein side the Cheetahs and Port Elizabeth-based Kings look most vulnerable to the axe.

Australia's remaining four teams will be joined by Japan's Sunwolves in one conference in the restructured competition with Argentina's Jaguares and the four South African teams in another.

New Zealand, whose long dominance of the competition has intensified over the last couple of years, will retain all five teams in a third conference.

"This decision has not been an easy one and we recognise the difficulty associated with reducing the number of teams in Australia and South Africa," SANZAAR chairman Brent Impey said in a statement.

"Naturally we understand that there will be some very disappointed franchises but the tournament's long-term future and the economic reality of the business at present is something that had to be addressed."

The axings come after widespread criticism of the first season of the 18-team format, which was introduced in 2016 after the Jaguares and the Sunwolves joined the competition and the Kings returned.

SANZAAR, made up of the South African, New Zealand, Australian and Argentine unions, met in London last month to try and hammer out a solution to the problems of an over-complicated structure and a dilution in the quality of the product.

Negotiations with broadcasters, who agreed a four-year deal in 2016, and other stakeholders followed amidst a fury of speculation and uncertainty.

Attention will now turn again to the teams to be axed.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have called a news conference on Monday to address the restructure, while South African Rugby said they would "begin internal consultations" over which teams to cut.

"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," said SA Rugby chief Jurie Roux.

"A reduction in the number of South African franchises was the unavoidable conclusion ..."

While the Kings finished bottom of the standings in their first season in 2013 and second bottom on their return last year, the Cheetahs have been much more competitive over their 13 seasons.

Founded as an expansion team in 2006, the Western Force have struggled financially and managed a winning record in just two of their 12 seasons.

The competition started as the Super 12 in 1996, a year after the sport turned professional. It was expanded to 14 teams from 2006 and 15 in 2011 after the Melbourne Rebels were added.

The Rebels have not managed much better than the Force on the pitch but are privately owned, while the Western Australian franchise had to be bailed out by the cash-strapped ARU last year.

Impey said the Sunwolves had not been considered for the axe despite their poor playing record in their debut season.

"The decision to retain the Sunwolves is linked directly to SANZAAR's strategic plan for the future," he added.

"The potential for growth of the sport in Asia off the back of the establishment of the Sunwolves and the impending World Cup (in Japan) in 2019 is significant." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Super Rugby organizer SANZAAR has confirmed the southern hemisphere rugby tournament will be cut from 18 to 15 teams next season with the removal of two sides from South Africa and one from Australia.

But in a statement Sunday SANZAAR left open the question of which ones will go, saying "the teams from Australia and South Africa that will compete in Super Rugby will be confirmed in due course by the respective national unions."

SANZAAR was expected to announce that the Perth-based Western Force would be removed from the Australian conference and the Port Elizabeth-based Kings and Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs from South Africa.

Instead, it stopped short of naming the teams, heaping more anxiety on players from Australia and South Africa who fear their livelihoods are in jeopardy.

The absence of detail around the plan has plagued Super Rugby since its member nations decided in London a month ago that the tournament should be reduced in size to improve the quality of the competition and simplify its structure. Now several teams remain in limbo.

SANZAAR has confirmed Super Rugby will have three five-team conferences in 2018. New Zealand will retain all five of its current teams while Australia's four remaining teams will be joined by Japan's Sunwolves in the Australian conference. South Africa's four teams will play in a conference including Argentina's Jaguares.

Teams will play each team in their conference twice and will play eight matches against teams from other conferences during the regular season. The conference winners and the five next-best performed teams will contest the playoffs.

Broadcasters have agreed not to reduce rights payments despite the downsizing of the tournament.

"The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated SANZAAR executive committee that met in London recently," SANZAAR chairman Brent Impey said. "It was not the determination of any one union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months."

Impey said SANZAAR's major broadcast partners had endorsed the new structure "after due consideration."

"This decision has not been an easy one and we recognize the difficulty associated with reducing the number of teams in Australia and South Africa," Impey said. "Naturally we understand that there will be some very disappointed franchises but the tournament's long-term future and the economic reality of the business at present is something that had to be addressed."

The decision to reduce the tournament from 18 to 15 teams comes only a year after it was expanded from 15 to 18 sides with the introduction of the Sunwolves, Jaguares and Kings.

The Sunwolves have since been generally uncompetitive, finishing last with only one win in 2016 and posting their first win in seven matches on Saturday.

"The decision to retain the Sunwolves is linked directly to SANZAAR's strategic plan for the future," Impey said. "The potential for growth of the sport in Asia off the back of the establishment of the Sunwolves and the impending Rugby World Cup in 2019 is significant. It remains an obvious focus for the organization and a Japanese Super Rugby franchise is key to that strategy."

But the enlargement of the tournament alienated many fans who felt the quality of Super Rugby had been harmed and found the conference system cumbersome and confusing.

SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos said the committee "cannot continue to ignore the extensive feedback that it has received from fans, stakeholders and commercial partners around the integrity of the competition format and performances of the teams.

"We want to see an engaging, vibrant and competitive competition that delivers a strong high performance pathway in all markets that will have a positive flow into the international game."

New Zealand was quick to hail the changes as beneficial to Super Rugby.

"From a New Zealand perspective the strength of all teams is essential to ensure that New Zealand clubs can be successful on and off the field while providing a fantastic platform for the best players in the world to be on display," New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said.

In contrast, the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association condemned the decision to cull one of Australia's teams as "short-sighted and ill-conceived."

"Having signed Australian Rugby up to a competition which reduced local content, diluted tribalism and disrespected fans with its lack of integrity, (the Australian Rugby Union) have now agreed to a new model which has protected the expansion teams in Argentina and Japan at the cost of one of our own," RUPA chief executive Ross Xenos said.

"Despite receiving $30 million of additional annual broadcast revenue from 2016, the financial challenges of Australian rugby will likely be used to justify today's short-sighted and ill-conceived decision which will limit the growth of rugby in Australia for generations to come."

It was a bitter irony that two of the teams marked for removal, the Force and Kings, met in Perth on Sunday in a match that ended less than an hour before SANZAAR's statement was released. The Force won 46-41 in a closely fought encounter that featured 12 tries and turned out to be one of the most entertaining matches of the season so far.</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The Australian Rugby Union says it will decide within three days whether the Melbourne Rebels or Western Force will be culled from Super Rugby as the southern hemisphere tournament is reduced from 18 to 15 teams next season.

Tournament organizer SANZAAR announced Sunday that one Australian and two South African teams would be dropped from the competition next year in the hope a streamlined tournament would lift quality and win back fans.

SANZAAR has left the decision on which teams will be cut to the Australian and South African rugby unions, saying it would not be rushing either nation into a hasty decision.

But at a news conference in Sydney Monday, chairman Cameron Clyne said the Rebels and Force would be informed of the ARU’s decision within 72 hours. Clyne said after an ”exhaustive analysis” it had been determined that the ACT Brumbies, who were also threatened with removal, would remain in the tournament.

”It is important for me to clarify firstly that the decision to remove a Super Rugby team from Australia was a decision made by the ARU, not by SANZAAR,” Clyne said.

”At the request of the board, ARU management completed an exhaustive analysis on three of our teams – the Brumbies, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels. The purpose of the analysis was to assess each of those teams on their financial sustainability, high performance and commercial factors…with a view to identifying which of those three teams to remove from the competition.”

Clyne said the board decided to retain the Brumbies and to begin consultation with the Force and Rebels ”to further understand their financial position.”

”We don’t anticipate this financial consultation period being a drawn-out process and expect to be able to deliver an outcome in the very near future.”

The Australian Rugby Union Players Association has condemned the decision to axe one Australian team as ”short-sighted and ill-conceived”, hinting at a possible confrontation between Australia’s professional players and the sport’s governing body.

The loss of one of Australia’s five teams immediately cuts 20 percent of professional playing vacancies within Australia and a strike by Australian players has been suggested as a response.

”Having signed Australian Rugby up to a competition which reduced local content, diluted tribalism and disrespected fans with its lack of integrity, (the Australian Rugby Union) have now agreed to a new model which has protected the expansion teams in Argentina and Japan at the cost of one of our own,” RUPA chief executive Ross Xenos said.

”Despite receiving $30 million of additional annual broadcast revenue from 2016, the financial challenges of Australian rugby will likely be used to justify today’s short-sighted and ill-conceived decision which will limit the growth of rugby in Australia for generations to come.”

Clyne said Super Rugby had imposed a significant financial burden on Australian rugby which was not sustainable.

”Since the ARU expanded to five Super Rugby teams in 2010, the economy we operate in globally has changed dramatically,” he said. ”With the incentives on offer in Europe, the player exodus has been significant in Australia and indeed across our SANZAAR partners.

”Based on recent performance trends it is evident that we do not currently have the playing depth in Australia to service five teams in Super Rugby.”

South Africa, which will lose two of its six teams, has endorsed the reduction in the tournament’s size.

”Fans, media and broadcasters have spoken and we have listened to them,” South Africa Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said. ”The 18-team Super Rugby competition has not worked and we had to face up to that hard fact. The integrity of the format and the lack of competitiveness in too many matches were major issues that needed addressing.”

New Zealand, which will retain all five of its current teams, has also supported the reduction.

”From a New Zealand perspective the strength of all teams is essential to ensure that New Zealand clubs can be successful on and off the field while providing a fantastic platform for the best players in the world to be on display,” New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said.

The reversion to 15 teams, a year after the tournament was expanded from 15 to 18 teams, means the Super Rugby will be played in four five-team conferences next season. New Zealand’s five teams will compete in one conference, Australia’s four teams will be joined by Japan’s Sunwolves in another and South Africa’s four teams will compete with Argentina’s Jaguares.

The Sunwolves and Jaguares, who joined the tournament for the first time last season, will both remain but the third expansion team, South Africa’s Kings, is expected to be cut along with the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs.

”The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated SANZAAR executive committee that met in London recently,” SANZAAR chairman Brent Impey said. ”It was not the determination of any one union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months.

”This decision has not been an easy one and we recognize the difficulty associated with reducing the number of teams in Australia and South Africa. Naturally we understand that there will be some very disappointed franchises but the tournament’s long-term future and the economic reality of the business at present is something that had to be addressed.”

Impey said the retention of the Sunwolves, who won only one match in their debut season and have won one of six games this year, was in keeping with SANZAAR’s objective to expand rugby in Asia ahead of the 2019 World Cup, which will be hosted by Japan.</s>SYDNEY, Australia, Apr 9 – Two South African teams and one from Australia will be axed from the 2018 Super Rugby competition, governing body SANZAAR said on Sunday.

The current 18-team competition will be streamlined to a three conference, 15-team format with five teams from New Zealand, four from Australia, four from South Africa, one from Japan and one from Argentina, SANZAAR said.

SANZAAR has left it to the national rugby unions involved to announce the teams to be cut, although Australia’s Western Force and South Africa’s Southern Kings and Central Cheetahs are widely regarded as the most vulnerable franchises.

The drastic restructure comes amid financial losses and fan discontent over the confusing and unbalanced competition.

With games played in cities straddling 17 time zones, travel schedules can be intense, while the quality of play has been criticised and the tournament is also hard for fans to follow.

Argentina’s Jaguares and the Sunwolves of Japan, admitted last year along with the Kings, will stay in the revamped 15-team Super Rugby tournament.

“This assessment highlighted a need to adjust and strengthen Super Rugby in the short-term to ensure a robust and sustainable tournament meets the requirements of all stakeholders in terms of high performance pathways, game development, commercial revenue and fan engagement,” SANZAAR said in a statement.</s>It's still unclear which teams from South Africa and Australia will be cut.

This restructuring by SANZAAR represents a crucial step in its strategic planning process that has included a comprehensive assessment of the economic and sporting environment under which its tournaments (Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship) are currently operating.

This assessment highlighted a need to adjust and strengthen Super Rugby in the short-term to ensure a robust and sustainable tournament meets the requirements of all stakeholders in terms of high performance pathways‚ game development‚ commercial revenue and fan engagement.

The change sees an overall reduction of three teams from the current 18-team format‚ two from South Africa and one from Australia.
• Decision to cull off two SA Super Rugby participants was needed, says Roux

The Sunwolves will move into the Australian Conference. The teams from Australia and South Africa that will compete in Super Rugby will be confirmed in due course by the respective National Unions.
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SANZAAR Chairman‚ Brent Impey stated‚ “The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated SANZAAR Executive Committee that met in London recently.

It was not the determination of any one Union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months.”

“SANZAAR is delighted that its major broadcast partners have after due consideration agreed to the restructured format within the existing broadcast agreements.

"Our broadcast partners are an important stakeholder and their vision for Super Rugby moving forward is the same as ours.”

“This decision has not been an easy one and we recognise the difficulty associated with reducing the number of teams in Australia and South Africa.

"Naturally we understand that there will be some very disappointed franchises but the tournament's long-term future and the economic reality of the business at present is something that had to be addressed.”

“The decision to retain the Sunwolves is linked directly to SANZAAR’s strategic plan for the future.

"The potential for growth of the sport in Asia off the back of the establishment of the Sunwolves and the impending RWC in 2019 is significant.

"It remains an obvious focus for the organisation and a Japanese Super Rugby franchise is key to that strategy."

SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos stated‚ “This has been a long and complex piece of work and we make no apology for that. Super Rugby is unique in world rugby in that it is played in six countries across 15 time zones and has numerous stakeholders.”
• Jurie Roux defends SA Rugby's R23.3 million loss in last financial year

“SANZAAR cannot continue to ignore the extensive feedback that it has received from fans‚ stakeholders and commercial partners around the integrity of the competition format and performances of the teams.

"We want to see an engaging‚ vibrant and competitive competition that delivers a strong high performance pathway in all markets that will have a positive flow into the international game.”

“It became clear during our strategic assessment that there are two facets to the future of our tournaments.

"The first is a requirement to react to existing market forces within the sporting business environment and to implement short-term change to Super Rugby. This is what we have done.”
• Southern Kings narrowly go down to Force in emotional day in Perth

“The second is the longer term vision‚ through a strategic plan‚ to build the brand that in the future can maximize further development of the game‚ commercial revenues and the ongoing sustainability of the tournaments. 



"This work is presently ongoing and details will be released in the coming months.”
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• Each team will play eight matches within its conference (four home and four away)
• Each team will play eight cross-conference matches – against four of the five teams from each of the other two conferences (four at home and four away)
• Each team will play 12 of the other teams within the season (85% of opposition teams which is up from 70% in 2016).

Three Conference winners and; five wild card places – the next best performing teams based on competition points after the Conference winners regardless of Conference.

Conference winners and fourth-placed team on competition points will host quarter-finals.</s>THREE Super Rugby teams, including one from Australia, are to be axed after this season, governing body SANZAAR has announced.

The Western Force are widely tipped to get the axe but the Australian Rugby Union is making no announcement yet on which one it will cull, with the Melbourne Rebels and Brumbies also facing speculation in recent weeks.

The ARU has scheduled a media conference for chairman Cameron Clyne and CEO Bill Pulver at 9.30am in Sydney on Monday, but it’s understood they won’t at that point name which team will be cut.

Under pressure due to financial losses and fan discontent over the confusing and unbalanced competition, SANZAAR has opted to slash it from 18 teams to 15 and from four conferences to three — the numbers that existed in 2015.

Australia will lose one of its five teams while South Africa loses two of its six teams and New Zealand’s dominant group of five foundation teams remains unchanged.

“Australia’s professional rugby players are incredibly frustrated and deeply disappointed by today’s confirmation that the Australian Rugby Union has voted to axe an Australian team from Super Rugby in 2018 and beyond,” Rugby Union Players Association chief executive Ross Xenos said.

“Having signed Australian Rugby up to a competition which reduced local content, diluted tribalism and disrespected fans with its lack of integrity, ARU have now agreed to a new model which has protected the expansion teams in Argentina and Japan at the cost of one of our own.

“Despite receiving $30 million of additional annual broadcast revenue from 2016, the financial challenges of Australian rugby will likely be used to justify today’s short-sighted and ill-conceived decision which will limit the growth of rugby in Australia for generations to come.

“It is tomorrow’s players, coaches and fans who will now pay the price for this strategic mismanagement. This decision will be the catalyst for an irresponsible human cost without any genuine remedies to the real strategic issues that the game faces.”

The three five-team conferences will be New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, with Japan’s Sunwolves to join the Australian conference and Argentina’s Jaguares to play in the South Africa conference.

SANZAAR left it to the national rugby unions concerned to announce the teams they are cutting.

The Port Elizabeth-based Kings and Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs are considered the most vulnerable South African franchises.

The 18-team format, introduced in 2016 after Argentina’s Jaguares and the Sunwolves of Japan joined the competition and the Kings returned, was widely criticised and there were fears the quality of the product was being diluted.

“The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated SANZAAR Executive Committee that met in London recently,” SANZAAR chairman Brent Impey said.

“It was not the determination of any one Union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months.

“SANZAAR is delighted that its major broadcast partners have after due consideration agreed to the restructured format within the existing broadcast agreements. Our broadcast partners are an important stakeholder and their vision for Super Rugby moving forward is the same as ours.

“This decision has not been an easy one and we recognise the difficulty associated with reducing the number of teams in Australia and South Africa. Naturally we understand that there will be some very disappointed franchises but the tournament’s long-term future and the economic reality of the business at present is something that had to be addressed.

“The decision to retain the Sunwolves is linked directly to SANZAAR’s strategic plan for the future. The potential for growth of the sport in Asia off the back of the establishment of the Sunwolves and the impending RWC in 2019 is significant. It remains an obvious focus for the organisation and a Japanese Super Rugby franchise is key to that strategy.

Added SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos: “This has been a long and complex piece of work and we make no apology for that. Super Rugby is unique in world rugby in that it is played in six countries across 15 time zones and has numerous stakeholders.

“SANZAAR cannot continue to ignore the extensive feedback that it has received from fans, stakeholders and commercial partners around the integrity of the competition format and performances of the teams. We want to see an engaging, vibrant and competitive competition that delivers a strong high performance pathway in all markets that will have a positive flow into the international game.

“It became clear during our strategic assessment that there are two facets to the future of our tournaments. The first is a requirement to react to existing market forces within the sporting business environment and to implement short-term change to Super Rugby. This is what we have done.

“The second is the longer term vision, through a strategic plan, to build the brand that in the future can maximise further development of the game, commercial revenues and the ongoing sustainability of the tournaments. This work is presently ongoing and details will be released in the coming months.

Each team will play eight matches within its conference (four home and four away)

Each team will play eight cross-conference matches — against four of the five teams from each of the other two conferences (four at home and four away)

Each team will play 12 of the other teams within the season (85% of opposition teams which is up from 70% in 2016).

Eight team Finals Series: Three Conference winners and; five wildcard places — the next best performing teams based on competition points after the Conference winners regardless of Conference. Conference winners and fourth-placed team on competition points will host quarter-finals.</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Super Rugby organizer SANZAAR has confirmed the southern hemisphere rugby tournament will be cut from 18 to 15 teams next season with the removal of two teams from South Africa and one from Australia.

But in a statement Sunday SANZAAR left open the question of which teams will go, saying "the teams from Australia and South Africa that will compete in Super Rugby will be confirmed in due course by the respective national unions."

SANZAAR was expected to announce that the Perth-based Western Force would be removed from the Australian conference and the Port Elizabeth-based Kings and Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs from South Africa.

Instead, it stopped short of naming the teams, heaping more anxiety on players from Australia and South Africa who fear their livelihoods are in jeopardy.</s>SYDNEY, April 9 Three teams, one from Australia and two from South Africa, will be axed from Super Rugby as the mainly southern hemisphere competition reverts to 15 teams for next season, governing body SANZAAR said on Sunday.</s>Three teams, one from Australia and two from South Africa, will be axed from Super Rugby as the mainly southern hemisphere competition reverts to 15 teams for next season, governing body SANZAAR said on Sunday.

 

 The South African and Australian unions will make the decision over which of their teams will go, but the Perth-based Western Force, Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs and Kings are the three franchises most vulnerable to the axe.

 

 "This restructuring by SANZAAR represents a crucial step in its strategic planning process that has included a comprehensive assessment of the economic and sporting environment," said a SANZAAR statement.



 The restructuring comes after widespread criticism of the first season of the 18-team format, which was introduced in 2016 after Argentina's Jaguares and the Sunwolves of Japan joined the competition and the Port Elizabeth-based Kings returned.

 

 SANZAAR, made up of the South African, New Zealand, Australian and Argentine unions, met in London last month to try to hammer out a solution to the problems of an over-complicated structure and a dilution in the quality of the product.

 

 Negotiations with broadcasters, who agreed a four-year deal in 2016, and other stakeholders

New structure of the Super Rugby competition for next season after governing body SANZAAR announced the culling of three as yet to be determined teams on Sunday.

* 120 match regular season plus seven finals

 

 * 15 teams

 

 * Three conferences (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa)

 

 * Japan's Sunwolves to play in Australia conference, Argentina's Jaguares in South Africa.

 

 * 18 rounds (16 matches per team, two bye weeks)

 

 * Each team will play eight matches within its conference (four home and four away)

 

 * Each team will play eight cross-conference matches against four of the five teams from the other two conferences (four at home and four away)

 

 * Each team will have played 12 of the other teams within the season (85 percent which is up from 70 percent under 2016-17 format).

 

 * Eight team play-offs: Three conference winners and five wild card places the next best performing teams after the conference winners regardless of conference.
In rugby union, SANZAAR announces that three teams will be eliminated from Super Rugby after the current season. One team from Australia and two from South Africa will be axed, reducing the competition to 15 teams.