Another big tick for the new format is the elimination of the worst elements of inconsistency in the scheduling.
The 18-team format meant one South African conference avoiding playing any New Zealand sides in the round-robin and there is no question all roads to the final weren't equal.
It's still not quite right as we don't have true round-robin and the Highlanders may feel they have pulled the short straw by missing out on games against the Jaguares and Sunwolves.
But as no one is prepared to either reduce the number of teams again or expand the time frame in which the competition can be played. The goal is to find the best of a number of imperfect formats and playing four of the five teams outside of the home conference is something with which fans, players, coaches and executives can seemingly live.
The bigger test for this reduced format, however, is whether it will lead to increased competition.
When it comes down to it, the problem with the 18-team competition was fans were bored by the endless meaningless games and the lack of drama and intrigue. There was a lot of junk: too many teams that were not up to standard.
Who didn't know what fate awaited the likes of the Cheetahs, Sunwolves, Rebels, Force and Jaguares when they played the obviously better teams? There was always the outside hope of a random upset but not enough and competitions need greater uncertainty about the outcome to grab and hold the attention.
Throwing out the Cheetahs, Kings and Force has reduced the number of easybeats and may also have the added benefit of lifting standards across the board in both Australia and South Africa now that their respective talent pools are not spread so thinly.
A glance at the Australian sides suggests the Waratahs have the potential to challenge for the title if they can get Israel Folau interested and keep Kurtley Beale in his new-found home of personal fulfilment. And, perhaps unbelievably, the Rebels could be the dark horse.
The Melbourne club have been the major beneficiaries of the decision to axe the Force: picking up most of the best players from Western Australia, as well as coach David Wessels while also snaring the signatures of Wallaby halfback Will Genia and former England lock Geoff Parling.
The Jaguares, having persuaded former Wallabies assistant coach Mario Ledesma to take the helm, could also be much improved and surely one of the other South African sides could join the Lions as serious contenders this year?
In New Zealand, nothing much will have changed. Life will be tough as it always is, maybe even tougher given there will be two full rounds of home and away local derbies.
The Blues, on pre-season form, are going to be able to hang in for longer in games and add to the intensity of the New Zealand conference.
Super Rugby undoubtedly lost its way when it expanded to 18 teams but it may, in six months, have greater authenticity to the claim that it is the toughest club competition in the world.
Super Rugby - what's new in 2018 ...
It boils down to this: three fewer teams, one fewer conference, and a slightly fairer playoff system.
Australia's Force have gone and so have South Africa's Cheetahs and Kings. There were four conferences but the culling of those lightweight three have opened the way for just three conferences: New Zealand, Australia (which includes Japan's Sunwolves) and South Africa (which includes Argentina's Jaguares).
Teams play home and away against the four other teams in their conference (eight games), plus once against four of the teams in the other two conferences (another eight games).
Each team faces 12 of the other 14 sides.
The top team in each of the three conferences qualify for the quarter-finals, as do the next five teams with the best records across the three conferences, known as wildcards.
The slightly simpler format also means anomalies such as the Lions from Johannesburg not facing a New Zealand team in the round-robin, which occurred last year, no longer happens.
