All Blacks and Highlanders scrumhalf
Aaron Smith says he misses the South African teams involvement in Super Rugby.
New Zealand has played their own local Super Rugby Aotearoa event for the past two years and from next year look set to join Australia s five franchises and two from the Pacific islands in a new 12-team Super Rugby event.
The old Super Rugby format - which featured 16 teams, including the Jaguares from Argentina and Sunwolves from Japan - was dissolved last year during the Covid-19 pandemic.
South Africa s four teams - the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers - have since joined the PRO14 in Europe.