Eddie Jones says it would be 'shortsighted' for Sanzaar to consider dropping the Brumbies from Super Rugby.

The England coach was in charge of the Canberra-based franchise from 1998 to 2001, winning the Super 12 title in his last season before becoming Wallabies coach.

With Sanzaar set to reduce the number of Super Rugby teams from 18 to 15 teams, Australia is likely to lose one and South Africa two. According to the Canberra Times, the Force and Brumbies are in the most danger Down Under as the Rebels have a private owner.

Jones said the ARU should cut the Force and Rebels, rather than the Brumbies.

'For me, Australian rugby was at its strongest when there were three Super Rugby teams – the Brumbies, the Waratahs and Reds. There was enough opportunity for players and those three places have always been rugby cities.

'To think about cutting the Brumbies is so shortsighted. If the ARU are serious about it, they're really missing the point.

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'The problem has been the two expansion teams, the Rebels and the Force. Unfortunately both of those teams take all of their players from Sydney, Brisbane or Canberra because they're not rugby strongholds.

'To think about axing the Brumbies … that would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.'

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