Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos has revealed merging Super W and Super Rugby Aupiki could come as soon as 2024.
Super W started in 2018 as a five-team competition in Australia with the Brumbies, Rebels, Waratahs, Reds and Force and in 2022 the Fijiana Drua.
Super Rugby Aupiki held its first season this year in New Zealand, a four-team tournament featuring the Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua, and Matatū.
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As groups on both sides of the ditch work to grow the game, Marinos said the ultimate goal is to have a trans-Tasman competition.
“I’d like to say by about at least 2024,” said Marinos of a merged competition.
“If there’s some sort of crossover we could do even for next year, we’ll certainly be looking at that.”
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Asked whether a trans-Tasman match between the winners of each competition could face each other to foreshadow the unification, Marinos said he hadn’t specifically spoken about that but it was something the organisations would be “very open” to.
“It’s about moving forward and we really are both committed to making sure that we grow the women’s game both in our own markets but in that cross-sport opportunity as well,” he explained.
“When I look at [New Zealand], they’re the world champions now. We [Australia] want to lift our level and make sure by 2029 we’re really competitive and dominating.
“The only way you’re going to get there is giving yourselves that international opposition on a more frequent basis.”
With the announcement of a new Super Rugby deal between Australia and New Zealand also came confirmation of a new, nine-person board.
The new governance structure will include an independent chair, four independent directors, and one representative each from New Zealand Rugby, Rugby Australia, the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA), and Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA).
While Marinos said the board won’t necessarily feature an individual with a key focus on the women’s game, he said it would be a “big focus” broadly for the group.
“We’ve both got those working groups and that acute focus in both of the national unions around the prioritising around the women’s game and how we move that forward,” he explained.
“It’s all about making sure you’ve got all the right high-performance structure that’s going to underpin it.
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“I think we’re well-resourced within each of the national unions to help deliver that.”
Super Rugby Aupiki kicks off with the first round on February 25 while Super W has its first round on March 24.
Super Rugby Aupiki takes in three rounds, plus semi finals and the final. Super W will take in five rounds as well as semi finals and the final.
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