Sanzaar says its joint-venture partners had ‘challenging’ discussions in Singapore this week on the future of its competitions.

The current Sanzaar broadcast deal expires at the end of the 2020 season. There has been talk of Super Rugby expansion to include the USA and Pacific Islands, as well as rumours that SA Rugby could leave Sanzaar for Europe.

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In a short statement on Wednesday, Sanzaar said that ‘discussions are challenging due to the complexities of the four individual markets across multiple time zones and the jurisdictions in which we operate, however, we are making strong progress.’

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While Sanzaar reduced Super Rugby from 18 to 15 teams this year, the tournament’s conference format has been heavily criticised and further changes seem inevitable.