Sanzaar sailing into troubled waters as Rugby Championship readies for kick-off | Gerard Meagher

Financial woes, political tumult and a spate of high-profile departures have left southern hemisphere rugby needing to prove that it is not circling the abyssThree shockwaves hit southern hemisphere rugby within the space of 24 hours last week: Bristol announced the capture of Charles Piutau on a reported £1m-a-year contract, Western Force were axed by the Australian Rugby Union and the new-look Pro14 was launched in South Africa. It will not go down as the easiest of days at Sanzaar HQ as the Rugby Championship gets under way on Saturday.For Sanzaar, these are difficult times. Super Rugby has…