Toomua calls for a rethink of the Super Rugby competition once the sport re-starts after COVID-19 shutdown

Wallabies playmaker Matt Toomua has joined calls for a rethink of the Super Rugby competition once the sport re-starts after the coronavirus shutdown.

The Melbourne Rebels back believes the competition, which features 15 teams across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, needs to be replaced by a more local product.

The 30-year-old told rugby.com.au. that the model that they've got is a little bit aged and outdated and they probably need to have a rethink.

He says whether it be in the short term until the borders open or whether it be long-term into something else that's a bit more sustainable, bit more domestically focused.

The Super Rugby season was suspended after round seven because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the competition is set to shrink to 14 teams next year with the loss of the Tokyo-based Sunwolves.

Increased airfare costs are expected even after the crisis has passed, which will hang heavy on national unions already hard-hit financially by the sporting shutdown.

Echoing the recent comments of his former ACT Brumbies and Australia captain Stephen Moore, Toomua says he felt the competition was simply no longer engaging fans.

[Source:Reuters]