http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Super-14-looks-to-China.4095419.jp

” Super 14 looks to China and USA for resurgence as crowds plummet

THE SUPER 14 competition is to be radically overhauled, with the preferred outcome a new 18-team franchise-based “Super Rugby” competition starting in 2010 that could include teams in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Rising concern at the loss of top Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks to European rugby, plus plummeting gates and television audiences for Super 14 rugby, has prompted the three Sanzar nations of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa to completel
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y re-evaluate the basis on which their main competition is organised.

Over the next month the Sanzar nations will meet with representatives of Argentina, the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Samoa and Tonga), Japan, the USA and Canada, with a final decision being taken in September on the exact format of the new competition. “

Dave as Jo says this is just a 10 annual world cup plus the travelling would be a nightmare.

It appears to me the big 3 down south should sit down and decide what the hell they want before issuing crazy press releases, they’ve refused the pumas on a number of occasions now they want them ?

SANZAR should introduce the Pumas for a four nations with a two tier super 9’s , 4 new teams from Argentina ,the current issue with super 14’s in the amount of meaningless games just look at the table ,some of these teams would of been out of contention by week 4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Super_14_season#Table. A league where the top 4 play of and both 2 go down would leave very few pointless games
Or better yet a 20 team Heineken cup style with either
format a)5 groups of 4 , top 5 into the quarter finals and 3 best placed .
format b) 4 groups of 5 top 4 into the semi’s
format c)current 14 +2 Argentinian top 4 into semi’s

As for South Africa, it’s about a 13-hour flight from the UK to SA, and that alone might make the ERC a little hesitant to let SA into the Heineken Cup. SA won’t care, because flights to Australia and New Zealand are just as long for them, but would they leave Super Rugby for a domestic league and European competition? I’m not so sure.

Personally, I would like to see the Super 14 disbanded, South Africa go with the European schedule, and have Australia and New Zealand have one joint competition.