All Blacks captain Kieran Read says Sanzaar should return to a round-robin format for Super Rugby.

This season saw the number of teams reduced from 18 to 15, with only one South African conference as a result.

However, Read told RadioLive that Super Rugby should not continue in its current state, especially with rumours circulating of a potential expansion of the competition to include teams from the USA and/or the Pacific Islands.

‘I like the idea of a full round robin where you play everyone once, but we can’t continue with this conference system moving forward,’ Read said.

‘They have to work something out there before expansion. A round robin or something along those lines would be fairer for everyone and result in a better product for the fans who turn up every week.’

Read said he was supportive of a Pacific Island team in Super Rugby but not until the current conference system was done away with.

Super Rugby had a round-robin format from 1996 to 2010, with the top four teams on the log progressing to the semi-finals.

In this year’s competition, eight of the 15 teams will qualify for the playoffs.

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images