All Blacks stars Sam Cane and Aaron Smith agree it will be a ‘shame’ to no longer play against South African teams in Vodacom Super Rugby.
In a confirmed shake-up to the Sanzaar alliance, SA Rugby will officially move to enter the four existing Super Rugby side in an expanded PRO Rugby competition.
Although there is still talk that the Cheetahs could enter a proposed ‘Super Series’ that involves New Zealand and Australian teams, it is the end of Super Rugby as we know it.
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‘When you get lucky enough to play international rugby, we’ll still have that awesome challenge of going over there. For me, I don’t think there’s much bigger challenge than playing a South African team in front of a packed-out South African crowd,’ Cane commented.
The All Blacks skipper added: ‘Put your Super Rugby hat on, it’s a bit of a shame that a lot of those young guys won’t get to experience that. I remember, [I was] super excited to make my first trip to South Africa, flying business class for the first time, all the little things that come with touring.