Six months after Argentina rugby president Gabriel Travaglini revealed the Jaguares had been invited to return to Super Rugby in 2026, Super Rugby officials could catapult the South Americans back into the competition next year if the Melbourne Rebels cease to exist.
According to the NZ Herald, Super Rugby officials are considering asking the Jaguares, who made the final of the competition in 2019 before falling into the too hard basket when the Covid pandemic stopped international travel, to return a season ahead of schedule.
With New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia fearful the removal of a Super Rugby side could lead to a reduction in broadcast funding, the NZ Herald reports contingency plans are already being hatched.
Sources told the publication that the Argentinian side would be “ready to go” if given an 11th hour call-up, with former Los Pumas captain and World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot driving their return.
It comes after Travalaglini let the cat out of the bag that plans were already afoot to see the Jaguares return from the start of the next broadcast cycle.
“We have the invitation, but it would be from 2026, because they have already closed the current one,” Travalaglini said last September.
“It is planned to set up a franchise. We have the commitment that they will receive us and that we will play games at home and away.”
Just who would run out for the Jaguares remains to be seen, with players unlikely to have to return to the Super Rugby side to be eligible for the national team like they were ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Most likely the franchise would follow a similar path to the Fiji Drua, which offers local players the opportunity stay at home rather than having to head overseas to earn a living. It would further bolster Argentina’s rugby pathways, too.
The Jaguares could make an early return if the Melbourne Rebels fall over. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
The immediate and long-term future of the Super Rugby Pacific competition is bound to be the main talking point at this week’s Super Rugby meetings in Melbourne, as all 12 sides gather in the Australian city for Super Round.
With the Rebels falling into voluntary administration late last month and looking for a white knight to bail them out of a $22 million black hole after being given a 60-day reprieve by the Federal Court, the future of Australia’s most recent Super Rugby franchise is bleak.
No concrete decision has yet been made about the Rebels’ future, but following a restructuring, which saw 10 positions, including the chief executive Baden Stephenson, made redundant, it appears all roads lead to the side ceasing to exist at season’s end.
The entire high performance team, including head coach Kevin Foote, have also had their contracts taken over by Rugby Australia and issued until June 30.
Adding to the sense of urgency around a quick decision with the Rebels is that broadcast negotiations are set to heat up over the coming months, with the current deal to finish at the end of 2025.
The Melbourne Rebels’ future remains clouded heading into the city hosting Super Round. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
That gives the trans-Tasman partners some wiggle room, but often national unions like to have deals wrapped up well in advance to allow them to promote the competition.
“Most of the work about the future shape of the competition in terms of number of teams and formats is focused on 2026 and the next media rights cycle,” NZR rugby Mark Robinson told the Rugby Direct podcast.
“Clearly the Rebels’ challenges have meant some of those conversations have been brought forward a little bit. We’re not 100 per cent sure around where the Rebels’ future sits but it’s significantly challenged at the moment.
“It’s too early to say what the number of teams are going to be. We need to find out exactly where the Rebels are at and then work through the rest of the year.
“There’s lots of different conversations as it relates to South America; North America, Japan as potentially interested parties but we need a bit more detail on that before we can comment too much further.”
While the Jaguares were one of the success stories of Super Rugby before their abrupt departure, the chopping and changing of the competition, which expanded to 18 franchises and played across four continents in 2016 before returning to 15 sides in 2018, made it difficult for the public to come to terms with the competition’s format.
Robinson conceded learning from the past was vital for the competition to grow and prosper.
“It’s a really fair observation,” Robinson said of the damage previous expansion caused the Super Rugby landscape.
“When we talk about the fans that’s not great for the identity and purpose of the competition. As I share some of the conversations about new territories coming into the competition those lessons are certainly front of mind. Having in-depth analysis, great data, around what any new entrant or expansion might mean is a foundation from decisions in the past.”
Last week former NZR boss David Moffett cautioned against expanding the competition, saying the trans-Tasman neighbours needed to get their house in order first.
“They destroyed a competition that was the envy of the world because they went for quantity over quality,” Moffett told The Roar.
“They’re still talking about going to Japan and America.
“Why would Japan have anything to do with Super Rugby? They’ve got their own competition up there that is attracting so many good players. It’s no longer somewhere players go to pick up their retirement fund.”
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
I would love to see the 3 SA teams and Namibia (funded by WR) be in a group of the European Super Cup. That would mean 12 teams with the Black Lions and Heat getting a better run out. 6 games in your conference and then top 2 in each group plus the 2 best 3rd places play quarters, semis and final/playoff games. That would then determine who gets places in the Challenge Cup. I think its when not if that the Challenge Cup will grow to 24 teams so they need to make sure that the teams being added in get enough good games to be compeditive.
Wayne
Roar Rookie
Well, one thing that you can bet your house on is that SA Rugby will not be sending any teams back into SR. Not only was the relationship irreparably damaged by the NZR but all the franchises want to play in Europe and would rather not play than go back to SR.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Sorry I meant to say club comps. All the major international comps make money. It's easy to say that SR should be able to break even, but it goes against the entire history of pro club rugby.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
With the accounts SARU posted last year it is a good place to be. I am sure they have a plan but you would figure Cheetahs, Puma's and Griquas will be making noises in 2026 if nothing happens.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
Very interesting Wayne, first time I heard this perspective. Whoever partners with NZR needs to do their due diligence and cover their back. Self-interest is all that matters to them - mutual benefit is a foreign concept.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
I am afraid that you are correct. We will get some occasional ups and downs but the trend is moving in the same direction.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
It is difficult to get public information on the profitability of professional rugby competitions. The exception is the RWC - a professional competition - that is highly profitable for World Rugby. So maybe unicorns are not that rare. With financial discipline, proper marketing and restructuring Superugby has the potential to become the undisputed best provincial competition in the world and should at least generate sufficient broadcasting and spectator revenue to at least break even.
Wayne
Roar Rookie
Brendan, three is also a broadcast revenue offset on top of what SA Rugby are paying directly out of pocket.
Wayne
Roar Rookie
Blik, the answer is C, it was a blackmail attempt. SANZAAR was kept up to date on SA Rugby's 8 Franchise model and to put the Cheetahs, Kings, Griquas and Pumas into Celtic Rugby. NZR, backed by Silver Lake, tried to blackmail SA Rugby and force them to completely withdraw from Celtic Rugby participation and to stick with SANZAAR. They knew that by NZR breaching the SANZAAR & broadcast agreements, that it would leave SA Rugby & UAR without any source of revenue and basically bankrupt. It backfired badly and now NZR have to live with the consequences. Something you missed was the NZR’s strategic timing of their release of the Aratipu review report, that was planned to be done after securing money via a NZ Government bailout. For reference, the NZR received 25% of the total government bailouts in NZ so they had financially security. The NZR leaked the Aratipu to the media in NZ within days of receiving their government bailout (total of $28.16 million over 2 years), leaving SA Rugby to find out the next day via the media that they had been summarily kicked out of Super Rugby. The worst thing about the whole debacle is that the NZR refused to even pick up the phone or talk to SA Rugby for 2 weeks, and only did so after some serious intervention from the ARU, Sky and SANZAAR. NZR had breached the SANZAAR broadcast agreements effectively rendering them cancelled so everybody was taking a massive financial knock not just SA Rugby. By that time, it was obvious what the NZR were doing and what their goal was. From what I heard the folks at SA Rugby and Super Sport were as angry as bucket of cut snakes with the NZR which is understandable given the financial impact. The relationship has and never will be the same again & whatever eventuates in the future will not be on anybody's terms other than SA Rugby's that is for certain. They have also had to suffer the consequences for their shenanigans in various ways to date, like when SA Rugby skipped the 2020 RC, SA Rugby pulling the Currie Cup broadcast rights, that were previously bundled up with Super Rugby and the RC to from the SANZAAR broadcast package, resulting in SANZAAR not being able to sell the rights for the next 2 years. Have you noticed yet that Japan is in WR's newly launched Pacific 6 Nations... You get the picture?
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Don't know. depends what it is up against. I think some would have been watching the Connacht v Scarlets game but due to weather (lighting in SA) more may have watched both. Some people only can get the local games on FTA while other will have paid the extra for all the games. Like Leinster v Munster infront of 50k the Bulls v Stormers will be one of the big selling points of the league. In 2019 25,267 showed up for the same game. Last year the game got 41,205. Highest viewed games in the league are Irish and SA games. 21/22 game didn't make the top 10, 22/23 it didn't make it either. Top 4 games last season were SA v Irish or Irish v SA games. After the weekend Only 1 SA side sits in the top 8, Stormers are 9th, Lions 11th and Sharks 16th (last). Bulls sit second and it was their first win against the Stormers in the URC.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
:laughing: The problem with that last paragraph is that you're demanding a unicorn. A profitable pro rugby comp has never existed anywhere in the world. It's always a trade off - if you spend more on pro rugby you have less to spend on community rugby. You might see a spark near the new teams, but you'll see a much bigger drop-off elsewhere. That's exactly what happened in Australia.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
Never NZ fault in your eyes JD :laughing: I have seen the effect on community rugby when the Force started in 2016 and again when they axed the Force in 2017. They are in my mind closely connected. If SR was less dysfunctional and entertaining it would generate more revenue and we would fund community rugby better instead of bailing out professional franchises. However, if your governing body spend money like there is no tomorrow no amount of funding will help.
Nobrain
Roar Guru
There many that are not playing often, some getting older and want to come back. I am sure that Pablo Matera wants to leave Japan and have his child attending school in Argentina. You may not get Gonzalez or Mallia, but Bofellli, Lavanini , Petty , to name a few would come back.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Always our fault in your eyes :laughing: We all want more players and fans but cutting community spending from 15% to 2.4% in order to spend more on pro rugby is always going to achieve the exact opposite. Isn't that obvious?
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
There is a lot to do to unwind contracts in Europe to get the stars back into the Jags team. Can that be done on short notice?
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
That is only because NZR kicked them out of SR forcing them to change their plan to play in both SR and URC with eight franchises. It was surely a major setback but I hope that they will get back on track soon. As someone that loves the game, I am delighted to see how the game grows to new supporters, fans and players. In the end we do compete as a sport with other sports even in NZ. https://www.besoccer.com/new/top-10-most-played-sports-in-nz-1107519
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
What TV ratings would a SA derby get in the European market?
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
"Expanding at your pace" has destroyed Australian rugby. I suppose that now South Africa have escaped from that terrible Super Rugby they've expanded into all those places you mentioned? No they've gone back to their original Super 12 teams. But I suppose that's New Zealand's fault too.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
No because without the fees they don't get a share of the commercial deals. Without the European market the SA teams don't get the big players back from OS. Yes it was an SA derby but when was the last time the Bulls got 50k for a home game. They could play domestic but SARU doesn't want to do it just like NZR does want to do domestic only. The sellout is SA fans being in a competition they are engaging in.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
So Bulls vs Stormers is a sellout based on a participation fee which didn't need to be paid given that the game is a local derby. Bulls could play Stormers WITHOUT paying such a fee.