No sixth side in tourney before 2022

AUCKLAND: New Zealand Rugby is set to confirm Super Rugby Aotearoa will return in 2021.

Despite New Zealand’s ongoing standoff with Rugby Australia over the future of Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship schedule, crossover matches with the five Australian franchises have been proposed for the completion of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Next year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa season will involve the five New Zealand teams playing each other twice, as they did this year, with the addition of a oneoff final.

Covid19 travel restrictions permitting, the five New Zealand teams will then potentially play two matches, home and away, against each Australian team, although this is yet to be agreed with RA.

From 2022, New Zealand Rugby is committed to expanding Super Rugby Aotearoa beyond the five existing Kiwi franchises by a ‘‘minimum’’ of three teams.

Of the eight expressions of interest NZR received for Super Rugby Aotearoa, four have been deemed worthy of ongoing negotiations.

At least one of those teams will be a Pasifika side, the national body continuing to engage separate bids from Moana Pasifika and Kanaloa Hawaii.

NZR opted not to include a Pasifika side next year due to concerns about its competitiveness in a compressed timeframe, and apparent insufficient corporate support to prove a selfsustainable future which left the national body at risk.

Other potential teams from 2022 include the Fiji Drua, which won the Australian domestic competition in 2018 and is working towards bringing their test players back home from Europe.

This team would be based in Suva, and provide a direct pathway through to the national team.

NZR is also believed to have reached an agreement with Andrew Forrest’s Global Rapid Rugby for the Western Force to potentially join the New Zealand competition from 2022.

The final potential inclusion is the South China Lions. The team would be based out of Bay of Plenty but also play games in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

RA took great offence to NZR’s expressionsofinterest approach to Super Rugby next year and, therefore, did not apply to join the competition.

NZR’s original pitch was for an eightto10 team competition next year, which left room for two to three Australian sides.

Negotiations between the two parties are, however, expected to continue before the crossover matches in 2021 and the 2022 format are confirmed.

NZR plans to make a decision by November 30 on which teams will join Super Rugby Aotearoa from 2022.

µ Uncapped Canterbury lock Mitchell Dunshea has been called into the All Black squad as a replacement for Quinten Strange who has been ruled out with an ankle injury, the team said yesterday.

Strange is likely to be unavailable for up to eight weeks, which would rule him out of contention for the Rugby Championship in Australia, although the team said it would monitor his recovery.

Dunshea will assemble with the team in Wellington before the first Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies on October 11.

All Black coach Ian Foster named 35 players for the Bledisloe Cup, but had also already lost Braydon Ennor to a knee injury. He will name a further 11 for the Rugby Championship. —