ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has launched a passionate defence of the club's Super Rugby future, swatting away rumours of a merger with Melbourne and declaring "the Brumbies will only ever play in Canberra."
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The Super Rugby uncertainty has overshadowed the biggest game of the Brumbies season as officials, coaches and players wait for the ARU and SANZAAR to publicly back the franchise.
SANZAAR has remained silent since a meeting in London last weekend while the ARU has spoken to Australian clubs, but has given no indication of whether it will cut one of its teams.
The 'cone of silence' has sparked rumours about the Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force as the three teams in danger of being axed from the competition.
A report in South Africa on Thursday claimed three teams would be cut from the competition: the Rebels, the Free State Cheetahs and the Southern Kings.
But it is unknown when SANZAAR will make a final decision or if South Africa will cut two teams. If South Africa says no to cutting two teams, the competition will continue with 18 franchises and all Australian teams will be safe.
Larkham said his players were not distracted by the ongoing talks about the club's future and they were preparing for a clash against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday night.
"We've had no indication that we're not going to be here next year and our mindset is that we are going to be here," Larkham said.
"We've been the most successful Super Rugby franchise in Australia, our [financial] books are good and our squad is strong. There's no reason why we can't push ahead."
Asked about the mooted Brumbies-Rebels merger, Larkham, a two-time Super Rugby title winnner with the Brumbies, quipped: "Maybe Adelaide is a better town for us.
"[Talk of the merger] is disappointing that people are even suggesting that and what we're seeing at the moment is there is a lot of speculation.
"A decision hasn't been made at the top level. It's people speculating ... until something happens, we believe we're going to be here next year.
"We are a Canberra team, we support this region and this region supports us. The Brumbies will only ever play out of Canberra."
The Canberra rugby community has been kept in the dark by the delayed answer to SANZAAR's competition structure.
If a Brumbies and Rebels merger was proposed, it would be met with significant angst in the capital.
It would also require an agreement from the ACT Rugby Union board because it owns the intellectual property rights to the Brumbies.
The ARU are keen to push a private ownership model in Australian rugby and the Rebels have a backer in Andrew Cox.
Cox has been defiant in his stance that the Rebels will not cease to exist, and cutting them from the competition would be a costly process for the ARU.
If there is a merger on the cards, the ARU has given the Brumbies no indication of it being tabled in the coming weeks.
The Brumbies will start interviewing for a new head coach next week as they prepare to replace Larkham at the end of the season.
The ARU are involved in the head coach recruitment process and it's unlikely they would have allowed the Brumbies to schedule interviews if there was an indication the club would be exiled.
There are fears the off-field saga will drag on for up to two months as South African officials negotiate in a very political rugby landscape.
But the damage has already been done to the Brumbies as speculation continues about the two-time Super Rugby championship winners' place in the competition.
The Australian Super Rugby bosses have also bunkered down and will not comment on the matter until a decision is made.
"The CEO's of the five Australian Super Rugby teams will respect the request from SANZAAR and the ARU not to comment on the ongoing discussions in relation the future of Super Rugby competition," they said in a statement.
"Given that so many people's livelihoods could potentially be at stake, the CEOs are respecting the ongoing process that SANZAAR are going through and that speculation of a future format does not help any team.
The focus now for all teams is the 2017 Super Rugby season, about winning games and delivering great events for all fans. "
SUPER RUGBY ROUND FOUR
Saturday: NSW Waratahs v ACT Brumbies at Allianz Stadium, 7.45pm.
Brumbies team: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. Nigel Ah Wong, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 9. Joe Powell, 8. Jordan Smiler, 7. Lolo Fakaosilea, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 1. Ben Alexander. Reserves: 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Ben Hyne, 21. De Wet Roos, 22. Jordan Jackson-Hope, 23. Andrew Smith.
