/ 18 July 2008

Super 14 play-offs to include six teams

The Super 14 playoffs could increase to six teams from next season after the competition’s ruling body agreed to implement a revised format as the first step towards further expansion.

The South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby unions (Sanzar) board would now forward the proposal to each of the individual union’s boards for ratification, the organisation said in a statement from Perth on Friday.

Formed when two teams were added for the 2006 season, the Super 14 currently follows a league format with the top four finishers advancing directly to the semifinals.

A longer play-offs schedule is seen as an initial step towards adding more teams to the competition and revising the subsequent international programme, potentially as early as 2010.

Expansion involving teams from the Pacific Islands, Japan, North America and Argentina, has been suggested by each of the Sanzar unions in recent times.

Sanzar said any expansion of the Super rugby competition may effect the southern hemisphere’s traditional test season from June to August.

”It was acknowledged that significant changes to the existing Super rugby format would have an impact on the traditional Tri-Nations window utilised by Sanzar countries and may impact on other areas of the international schedule,” the statement said.

”Alternatives to the current Test schedule and the timing of international matches remain, like Super rugby expansion, a work in progress.”

Australia play South Africa in the third match of this year’s Tri-Nations on Saturday in Perth. – Reuters