In the longer term, a new 12-team tournament from 2022 onwards has been muted, with the current four Australian and five New Zealand sides, plus the full time return of the Australian side the Western Super Rugby live Force to Super Rugby, following their departure from the competition at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season. Rugby Australia interim Chief Executive, Rob Clarke said: “Super Rugby AU was terrific in 2020 and will get better next year as this next crop of Australian Rugby stars continue to develop, and they are complimented by some genuinely talented international players who have since arrived on our shores. The 2021 season promises to be a great one for Australians fans with every game in primetime and with the added support of our new partners, Stan and Nine."
The 2021 Super Rugby season is the 26th season of Super Rugby, an annual men's international rugby union tournament organised by SANZAAR, involving teams from Australia and New Zealand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament this year will be wholly regionalised, with the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and the 2021 Super Rugby AU season replacing the previous 15 side format used from 2018 till 2020. Super Rugby Trans-Tasman will follow these tournaments, a crossover competition featuring the five Australian sides playing the five New Zealand sides.
The five New Zealand sides will compete in the 2nd Super Rugby Aotearoa season,[1] while the four Australian sides, plus the addition again of the Western Force, will compete in the 2nd Super Rugby AU season.[2] The competition will not feature any South African sides who announced their withdrawal from Super Rugby in September 2020,[3] while the Japanese side, the Sunwolves, was confirmed as leaving the league in March 2019.[4] The future of the Argentinian side, the Jaguares, were also not named in any competition and won't compete in 2021.
Following the draw for the 2021 Super Rugby AU season, Rugby Australia confirmed they were working with New Zealand Rugby on a trans-Tasman competition to follow the Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU seasons.[2] On 13 November, this tournament was confirmed as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, which will feature the Australian and New Zealand sides playing each other in 25 crossover matches before a final. All sides will play two home matches, and two away matches as well as a 'Super Round' where all matches will be played in one location over the course of one weekend. The final will then be between the top two teams in the combined competition table.[5][6]
They will potentially be joined in the competition by teams from Pasifika Moana and Fiji, with South African sides having confirmed their departure from Super Rugby to join an expanded Pro14 competition, Watch Super Rugby live and no place for the Argentinian Jaguares either.[7] On 13 November, New Zealand Rugby confirmed Fiji Rugby and Moana Pasifika as it's preferred partners for Super Rugby going forward.[8] A Hawaiian side had been muted to join the competition, with Kanaloa Pasifika having gone through the process to try and join the competition, however they were not selected by New Zealand Rugby. Kanaloa Pasifika has now launched legal action over this decision, stating that Moana Pasifika had not gone through the correct process to join the competition.[9]
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