SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said that Super Rugby "will retain the same structure for 2017 but there is an acceptance that it is not perfect and changes are possible for the following season," according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. The '16 season "was the first with 18 teams, including new franchises in Argentina and Japan, and there were some major mismatches as well as criticism of a conference system which allowed home advantage in the playoffs to some teams" despite them having worse records than others. Marinos said, "Looking at the overall structure, the competition is locked and loaded for next year. But we are looking at all the anomalies and see how we best can correct it. I'm not saying we will get everything right, but at least we can have a good crack at addressing it."
Nothing would be "off the table" when it came to proposed changes to the structure of the playoffs, he added, but expansion meant there could be no return to the days when each team played everyone else. Australia's ability to maintain five teams and South Africa six was a "concern," Marinos said, but any contraction or further expansion of the competition would have to wait until at least '18, if not '20 when the current TV contract expires.
Marinos "has led a drive to put in place SANZAAR's first 10-year strategic plan and consultants Accenture are due to make a series of recommendations later this year" (REUTERS, 9/19).
