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Sanzaar dismisses Super Rugby shrinkage report as speculative
A report in Australia suggests another team will be axed, possibly Japan’s Sunwolves
Reports that Super Rugby will shrink from 15 to 14 teams as part of the next broadcast deal are speculative and no decisions have yet been made over the size of the competition from 2021, governing body Sanzaar said on Tuesday. Super Rugby, the annual competition that grew out of the southern hemisphere provincial championship, contracted from 18 teams to 15 for last season after struggling for audiences in the key markets of Australia, New Zealand and SA. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday suggested a further shrinkage is on the cards with the single northern hemisphere team, Japan’s Sunwolves, facing the axe to allow the unpopular conference system to be dispensed with. Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos said that such reports were mere conjecture at this stage and that any changes to the structure of the competition would be communicated “at the appropriate time”. “The recent reports in the media around the next iteration of the Super Rugby tournament are nothing more than spe...
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