5 Potential New Candidates for 18th Super Rugby Team!

Super Rugby is set to expand to 18 teams for 2016.

The Southern Kings from Port Elizabeth and a team based in Argentina will be two of the 3 expansion teams, but a 3rd remains a mystery with SANZAR toeing the line of picking a competitive tender possibly from Asia.

Whatever happens, the new team will be in for a hiding against the established South African sides.

Definitely worth a bit of speculation in this blog.

Here are my 5 potential new candidates for Super Rugby's 18th team.

Singapore's under construction Sports Hub will open in 2015 - in time for Super Rugby perhaps?

1. Singapore - much has been mentioned about the little Republic being Asia's best chance of hosting the Super Rugby team that SANZAR wants based in Asia. However, as alluded to before, time and cost of travel are big factors against the viability of a Singapore based Super Rugby franchise especially if they have to be based in the South African franchise. History is also not in favour of a Singapore based sports team competing in a Southern Hemisphere competition, i.e. the Singapore Slingers failed effort in the Australian NBL. Nevertheless, travelling 11 hours from Singapore is a bit better than flying 15 hours from Japan so the Southeast Asian republic might very well be SANZAR's frontrunner for expansion to Asia here.

Could Super Rugby be the catalyst to getting Barca a refurbished Camp Nou?

2. Spain - SANZAR may realise that time zones are another factor against an Asian Super Rugby team and decide to go to Europe. It is unlikely that the French, Welsh, English and Irish clubs and leagues would appreciate competing against a Super Rugby team based in their land and with SANZAR keen to strengthen Argentine rugby, it could possibly have an unlikely ally in Spain. Spain with its Euro would still provide decent wages to its rugby players if it chose to host one Super Rugby team - the wages would still be nothing compared to the most expensive contracts offered by Real Madrid and Barcelona - and language won't be an issue particularly for the Argentine players. Travel will still be a problem but not as much as travelling from Asia. Super Rugby at the Camp Nou or Santiago Bernabeu may not be far-fetched after all.

Super Rugby in the Big Apple?

3. USA - SANZAR has previously expressed interest in developing the game in North America and the USA being the biggest media market in the world could be very enticing for a Super Rugby team. The team would naturally have to be based on the East Coast, nearest to South Africa. Again travel will take a lot of time, i.e. 14 hours, longer than Europe and Asia, but would Super Rugby say no at the opportunity of playing somewhere like in New York or Miami? 

Tucuman - a potential host for the World Cup in 2023

4. Argentina - The most logical given that SANZAR has already agreed to 1 Super Rugby franchise in the Republic - a local derby could very well further bolster growth of the game in the country. Buenos Aires is likely to host at least one team - it has a big enough population for two teams - although it is likely that SANZAR might prefer a team outside Buenos Aires, i.e. in Rosario, Tucuman, Mendoza or Cordoba. However, it will be tough work already getting one franchise in Argentina underway let alone two.

Nelspruit's stadium was built for the 2010 World Cup

5. South Africa - Another logical choice given the 18th team is based in the South African conference anyway and not as far-fetched as you think. Besides the Sharks, Bulls, Stormers, Lions, Cheetahs and Kings, there are other blossoming current Currie Cup sides that would fancy hosting a Super Rugby team. The leading candidate would be the Pumas from Nelspruit - the other Currie Cup Premier Division team currently servicing the Lions. The Pumas do get decent sized crowds and the region is one that is growing but would Australia and New Zealand appreciate a 7th South African team?

Super 15 Becomes Super 18 in 2016 - Who Will Be the 18th Team?

The worst kept secret in Southern Hemisphere rugby is out with Australian and New Zealand Rugby Union bosses confirming that Super Rugby will become an 18-team competition in 2016.

The competition will see the 18 teams split into four conferences with the Australian and New Zealand conferences staying the same while South Africa will have two conferences of 4 teams featuring the 3 expansion teams.

There will be less local derbies - fans love them but the players not so much with the intensity of the games appearing to increase the toll on rugby players and shortening their careers. The season will comprise of 15 round robin games - 1 less than what they play now and possibly not as much travel between South Africa and Australia and New Zealand.

The finals will feature 8 teams at the start - 4 conference winners, the 3 highest ranked teams in Australasia and next highest team in South Africa will feature in the quarterfinals to decide who plays in the semifinals and final.

So the big talking point has to be who will make up the new 3 teams.

The Southern Kings who made their Super Rugby bow last year will return to the competition in 2016 - although they could return a season earlier if they win their relegation/promotion playoff against the last placed South African team this year.

One of the new two teams will be from Argentina - probably based in Buenos Aires given it is Argentina's largest city and where its largest international airport is based.

The 18th team will be selected by a competitive tender with SANZAR bosses keen on an Asian based team.

The only problem is that the Asian based team would have to spend significant flight time - and cost, with South Africa not exactly the cheapest place to fly to - to play in the South African conference, which raises questions of whether an Asian team is actually practical.

Consider this - the flight time between Singapore and Johannesburg is 11 hours - about the same flight time as between Sydney and Johannesburg, the standard trip New Zealand teams have to make right now for their annual trips to South Africa.

Even a European team which is what South African rugby has wanted is not really any more practical - London to Johannesburg also takes 11 hours.

Which really means another thing - could we possibly have a 7th South African team or even another Argentine team?

I think practically that is the best way forward but the question is whether the Australian and New Zealand rugby unions will appreciate South African and Argentine rugby diluted further by both countries having one extra team each.

Could the Pumas be South Africa's 7th Super Rugby franchise?

The Pumas who represent Mpumalanga province and are based in Witbank could have a viable Super Rugby franchise - they do have quite good support from the locals and good attendances.

Los Pumas star Juan Martin Hernandez plays for Racing Metro in France - and earns a lot of money for it.

Rosario or Cordoba in Argentina could be another place for a Super Rugby franchise but it will take quite a bit of effort to convince Argentina's best to cut ties with the lucrative French and English clubs and play for a brand new outfit let alone two.

Watch this space - expect a lot of water to pass under this bridge before 2018.