New Super Rugby, old Australia problems

MELBOURNE, April 22 (Reuters) - Australia's hopes of a Super Rugby rival after the axing of Western Force are fast diminishing midway through the season, with the nation's four remaining teams setting into a familiar slide in the rebooted competition.

Perth-based Force's dissolution was sold by governing body Rugby Australia as a chance to lift home teams' strength by consolidating playing stocks and sharing resources more broadly after declining performance in recent seasons.

However, after week 10 of the tournament, the Australian conference is again in the shade of its New Zealand and South African counterparts, continuing the frustrations of weary fans Down Under.

The conference, which includes the winless Japanese side Sunwolves, has managed only 75 points, well adrift of dominant New Zealand (118) and South Africa (97).

With only two points from eight games, the Tokyo-based Sunwolves have weighed down the group but only the conference-leading New South Wales Waratahs (5-2-1) boast a winning record in Australia in the run to the playoffs.

That has remained intact despite a 29-0 humiliation by Johannesburg's visiting Lions on Saturday, the first time the Sydney-based team has been held scoreless in the tournament.

With home derbies dominating the competition's first six weeks, the true nature of Australia's struggles was obscured to an extent but it has been crudely revealed in matches against foreign opponents.

Expectations of a tougher Queensland Reds team (3-5) under the guidance of former All Blacks hard man Brad Thorn have been shot to pieces, and the Brisbane team's 36-12 demolition by New Zealand's Waikato Chiefs was sour viewing for home fans at Lang Park on Saturday.

The Melbourne Rebels (4-4), who have benefited most from Force's exit by creaming the team's best players, have also come crashing back to earth after a bright start.

Their 28-10 rout by the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday was their third loss in succession and continued their winless streak in South Africa to 14 matches.

The Brumbies completed a dismal weekend for Australia on Sunday by losing 25-20 at home to the Jaguares.

The Argentine side has long struggled on the road, but now relish the chance of travelling to Australia where they have won their last four matches.

New Zealand's five teams simply pencil in wins against Australian sides, home or away.

The Chiefs' demolition of the Reds was the 35th consecutive win by a New Zealand side over Australian opponents, a streak that goes back to 2016.

Tougher times loom ahead for Australia's strugglers, with few home derbies on offer in coming weeks for sides to pick up cheap points.

Across the Tasman Sea, a long-established status quo continues, with four of New Zealand's teams jostling for the conference's automatic playoffs berth, and the Auckland Blues making up the numbers.

The champion Canterbury Crusaders' 33-11 home win over the Sunwolves on Saturday was neither pretty nor memorable on a night when a hail-storm lashed the ground.

However, their sixth win was enough to snatch the conference lead from the Wellington Hurricanes, who have played one less match.

The Lions, the team the Crusaders beat for the title last year, remain runaway leaders in the South Africa conference, 11 points ahead of the second-placed Bulls.

The decision to cut Super Rugby from 18 teams to 15 this season was taken, in part, to rejuvenate a bloated competition that was turning away fans by serving up one-sided contests.

Yet with two months left in the regular season, the revamp has shown few signs of a more level playing field. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty)