South Africa have warned the New Zealand and Australian rugby unions not to bully them in talks over an expanded Super 14 competition, and they're pressing ahead with their bid for
for a sixth franchise.
Australia has said it wants the extra team which would mean the three SANZAR nations would have five teams each. But South want their Eastern Cape franchise, which will be launched to coincide with the British & Irish Lions' tour match in Port Elizabeth in June and is made up of players from an area with a strong tradition of black rugby, to be the 15th team.
There's also disagreement within SANZAR about when the season should start and how long it should run.
South African Rugby's acting managing director Andy Marinos hasn't ruled out the possibility of South Africa breaking ties with SANZAR and looking to Europe for competition after 2010 when the three countries' broadcast agreement with News Corp expires.
