Expanded Super Rugby exposes yawning gaps

Super Rugby’s expansion into Asian and Latin American markets was hailed as a watershed for the sport’s globalisation but the struggles of the three new teams have become an awkward sideshow for the sprawling competition.

At the midpoint of the season, the expansion sides have managed just two wins between them and been subjected to some humiliating losses.

The Jaguares, Argentina’s first team in the competition, have laboured to a single win, as have South Africa’s Southern Kings, who rejoined the tournament after playing a single season in 2013.