Australia’s beleaguered rugby chiefs insist they have not botched their efforts to reduce the country’s Super Rugby presence despite players calling the saga a “fiasco”. The Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) on Wednesday unanimously backed a Victorian Rugby Union call for an emergency meeting of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) voting members to examine the … Read more
Sunwolves winger Jamie-Jerry Taulagi was banned for five weeks Monday after pleading guilty to a dangerous tackle during the weekend’s tense Super Rugby loss to the Waikato Chiefs. Taulagi was shown a red card for a shoulder charge targeting the head of Chiefs outside back Shaun Stevenson in the dying moments of the match in … Read more
RugbyWA has launched legal action against the Australian Rugby Union in a bid to keep threatened Super franchise Western Force afloat as the axe hovers over the club. A writ against the governing body was lodged on Monday evening, Western Australia’s rugby body said, notifying the ARU of the intention to apply for an injunction … Read more
New Zealand is not to blame for the problems that are forcing Australia to axe one of its five Super Rugby teams, New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew said on Monday. Amid anger and finger-pointing on the Australian side of the Tasman over the decision announced Sunday, Tew admitted Super Rugby over-reached by expanding to … Read more
The Australian Rugby Union said Monday either the Melbourne Rebels or Western Force face the axe from next year’s Super Rugby competition, with talks underway to decide which one survives. Governing body SANZAAR announced Sunday that two South African teams and one from Australia would be culled from the revamped 2018 southern hemisphere tournament. “It … Read more
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 … Read more
Springbok great Joel Stransky on Tuesday urged SANZAAR to stop delaying and unveil its revamped Super Rugby format, saying the governing body needed to make tough decisions and stand by them. Stransky said uncertainty had engulfed the southern hemisphere club competition since the governing body announced early last month that a shake-up was imminent without … Read more
Waikato Chiefs centre Jonathan Faauli was suspended for four weeks Monday over a high tackle during his team’s win over the Northern Bulls on the weekend, governing body SANZAAR said. Faauli was cited for a dangerous tackle on Jan Serfontein in the 27th minute of the 28-12 victory in Hamilton on Saturday. The 21-year-old was … Read more
Australia’s professional rugby players may go on strike early next year if one of their Super Rugby teams is axed in a shake-up of the competition, a report said on Friday. Fairfax Media said Australia’s Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) is considering pre-season strike action if one of the country’s five Super Rugby teams is … Read more
Former Australian rugby chief John O’Neill has called for Argentina and Japan to be dumped from the troubled Super Rugby competition, along with a South African side. As the SANZAAR organisers grapple with a way forward for the confusing 18-team, five-nation championship, former Australian Rugby Union chairman O’Neill says they must return to a 15-team … Read more
A new Super Rugby season kicks off this week with bosses pledging to tackle its unwieldy conference structure, exhausting travel schedules and lopsided contests. There will be a first fixture in Samoa in June, meaning the 2017 Super Rugby season will now straddle 17 time zones and four continents. The competition will retain the much-criticised … Read more