OPINION: At 8 o'clock tonight, SANZAAR will finally reveal details on the future of Super Rugby. Details that will tell us whether Super Rugby has a future at all.
This feels like the last chance to save a competition that is in such a mess that it's barely recognisable from the Super 12 tournament that set the benchmark when it was introduced in 1996. It was simple. It was strong. It was, well, Super.
Times have changed. The world has changed. The Rugby landscape has changed. SANZAAR needs to make changes that reflect all of this and they need to get it right. If they do, it's possible to please the fans, as well as the finance team.
The strongly rumoured move to a 15-team competition is a great start, but the debate over the last few weeks about which three teams should be cut, especially out of Australia, has been laughable. It's merely highlighted the fact that our friends across the Tasman need a reality check about the state of the game.
New Zealand aside, traditional powerhouses within SANZAAR have weakened significantly, and those who've been welcomed into the fold have improved.
Argentina's Jaguares have made a strong start to the season and left the Kings well and truly in their wake in the Africa 2 conference, while the Sunwolves' win over the Bulls brought back memories of Japan's historic victory over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.
The Sunwolves' win in Tokyo - just the second in their history - over a three-time Super Rugby champion, makes a mockery of calls for them to be axed from Super Rugby after the opening week of the competition when they were blown away by the Hurricanes.
Yesterday was a timely reminder that they belong in this competition as much as any of the 'also ran' teams from South Africa or Australia making up the numbers. And that's just what they're bringing to the table on the field - what Japan brings off the field makes their inclusion a complete no-brainer.
In a way, the form of the Jaguares and the Sunwolves makes the timing of this announcement perfect. It reinforces that South Africa and Australia need to consolidate to help themselves, and to help the competition.
Super Rugby was at its strongest when South Africa had four teams, and Australia had three. It was right then, and it's right now. South Africa seem ready to make the move, let's hope the ARU make the right call about which of their five to chop.
It's possible that by tonight we'll have a competition that's stronger, easier to understand, and rewards performance; a Super Rugby tournament that regains some of its lost identity, and makes the most of a second-chance at sensible, controlled expansion into new territories without growing too fast and compromising the integrity of the competition.
Let's hope they don't screw it up.
Andrew Gourdie is a Newshub sports reporter.
