SANZAAR CEO Says New Teams Will Reinvigorate Super Rugby

The addition of three teams and a "re-jigged Super Rugby format have been met with a lukewarm response from most supporters" but new SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said that the Sunwolves, Southern Kings and Jaguares will help "re-invigorate the competition," according to Patrick McKendry of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD.  He said, "Having new teams like this with a different style, different faces, different personality -- it's certainly going to bring a level of interest which we haven't seen for a while." He also said that the organizers -- once known as SANZAR -- "were realistic" about the performances of the Sunwolves, which, according to one calculation, will have to travel 80,000km this season, and the Kings. Marinos: "It would be naive to say it wasn't something we had our eye on very closely but everyone tends to focus on one or two teams in the competition rather than the whole thing in its totality. ... I'm confident it will be a good year but also realistic enough to say there could be challenges" (NZ HERALD, 2/14).