A tough decision for rugby bosses

SUPER Rugby bosses will be facing tough decisions when they meet in March to decide on which path they want to steer their global tournament.

Many rugby fans feel that if the tournament is to prosper, then the 18-team league needs to be cut to at least 16.

That possibility will be worrying for the Southern Kings, who were the worst performing team of the South African franchise last year.

Other teams who could face the axe in a new format are the Cheetahs and Australia’s Western Force.

With the Sanzaar meeting scheduled for March, it is unlikely that a final decision will be made on any structure at that gathering.

Rugby chiefs are likely to wait until later in the season when they have had a better chance to assess how the tournament is going and the how teams are faring.

Another poor season by the Kings would obviously make them prime candidates to drop out of the top flight.

The big decision facing bosses is whether quantity is better than quality as they wrestle with ways to make Super Rugby more attractive.

Even Sanzaar chief executive Andy Marinos has admitted that Australia’s ability to maintain five teams and South Africa six was a concern.

Last year’s expanded 18team format failed to give the tournament the extra edge it needed despite the introduction of Japan’s Sunwolves and Argentina’s Jaguares.

Sanzaar bosses are likely to have taken note that some powerful figures in world rugby have thrown their weight behind moves to cut back on the number of teams.

Innovative England coach Eddie Jones and Springbok legend and analyst Joel Stransky have made it clear they want big changes.

If this pair had their way both Australia and South Africa would lose two teams next year, which would reduce the size to 14.

All the talk about reducing the size of Super Rugby means the Kings have to hit the ground running from the get-go if they are to retain their berth in the top flight.