The ACT Brumbies future remains in the balance after SANZAAR confirmed on Sunday night an Australian team will be axed from Super Rugby.

SANZAAR revealed one of Australia's five teams and two South African sides will be chopped as the competition returns to a 15-team format next season.

While there has not been a formal decision on which Australian team will be cut, Fairfax Media understands that the team will be the Western Force.

The future of the Brumbies, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels was thrown into limbo last month when SANZAAR officials met in London to discuss robust changes to Super Rugby.

There are currently 18 teams competing in four conferences across five countries in a format which has proved complicated for fans and incurred expensive travel bills for national governing bodies.

The Brumbies put the speculation about their future behind them and currently sit top of the Australian conference after securing a record 10th straight victory against Aussie opposition on Saturday.

ACT Brumbies boss Michael Thomson said: "We would like to thank all of our members, sponsors and supporters for their backing of the Brumbies at this difficult time."

The new three-conference 18-round tournament will see teams play eight matches within their conference and eight cross-conference matches, plus two byes.

The ARU had to green light any proposed changes and the board met on Sunday afternoon with a formal announcement expected on Monday morning.

The remaining four Australian teams will be placed in a conference with the Japanese-based Sunwolves, while the surviving South Africa teams will play with Argentina's Jaguars.

SANZAAR has been left red faced after bailing on its competition format that is only 18 months old and chief executive Andy Marinos conceded mistakes were made.

"If we had stayed with the current format I don't think we would have had much of a product to put into the market come 2020, it simply wasn't working from a viewership and attendance point of view," Marinos said.

In some instances we've been putting square pegs in round holes.

SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos

"Let's not kid ourselves, we're in a very competitive sporting market globally and it comes down to commercial viability and sustainability. A lot of the clubs are under huge financial pressure which is putting pressure on the national unions and that is affecting international rugby.

"In some instances we've been putting square pegs in round holes. A lot of the decisions were politically and emotionally driven as opposed to business and a high performance needs driven and that's something as a board we really wanted to address and make sure our decisions are a hell of a lot more strategically driven moving forward."

The Australian Rugby Union Players Association petitioned hard to keep all five franchises alive and boss Ross Xenos didn't miss following the announcement.

"Australia's professional Rugby players are incredibly frustrated and deeply disappointed by today's confirmation that the ARU has voted to axe an Australian team from Super Rugby in 2018 and beyond," Xenos said.

"Having signed Australian Rugby up to a competition which reduced local content, diluted tribalism and disrespected fans with its lack of integrity, ARU have now agreed to a new model which has protected the expansion teams in Argentina and Japan at the cost of one of our own.

"It is the players, coaches and fans who will now pay the price for this strategic mismanagement. This decision will be the catalyst for an irresponsible human cost without any genuine remedies to the real strategic issues that the game faces."

SANZAAR chairman Brent Impey said: "The decision to retain the Sunwolves is linked directly to SANZAAR's strategic plan for the future. The potential for growth of the sport in Asia off the back of the establishment of the Sunwolves and the impending RWC in 2019 is significant."