Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has urged Rugby Australia not to pull its teams out of Super Rugby in 2024 and set up a domestic competition of its own in the lead-up to hosting the 2027 World Cup.
In an interview with Australian broadcaster Fox Sports last week, Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan says Australia were committed to Super Rugby only as far as 2023.
Rennie says that Australian teams playing their New Zealand counterparts would be beneficial for both countries.
Australian media have reported that McLennan told New Zealand Rugby chair Stewart Mitchell their partnership could end due to inequity in their broadcast revenues.
NZR reportedly earns $98 million per year from broadcast rights for the tournament, while RA receives $36 million from Nine Network and Nine's streaming platform Stan in a broadcast deal that expires at the end of 2023.
Australia's five teams competed in Super Rugby this year with six New Zealand-based sides, Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua. Only one Australian team made the semi-finals.
Source: RNZ.
