Report: Japanese executive pushing for Top League inclusion in new Southern Hemisphere competition
As the trans-Tasman war of words rages on between New Zealand and Australia over the future of a revamped Super Rugby competition, a Japanese executive has expressed his eagerness for Japan to stay involved in the Southern Hemisphere club game.
The expulsion of the Sunwolves from Super Rugby beyond this year was expected to eradicate Japan from the SANZAAR competition, as the league prepared to revert to a 14-team, round-robin format in 2021.
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced a re-think about how Super Rugby’s future, however, with New Zealand and Australia set to join forces to form a new tournament.
Both countries have created makeshift domestic competitions featuring their respective franchises – and, in Australia’s case, the Western Force – but plans for a cross-border league between the two nations has sparked debate and controversy.
That’s New Zealand Rugby last week revealed plans for an eight-to-10 team competition to take place next year that would comprise of all five Kiwi franchises, a Pasifika team and between two-to-four Australian sides.
NZR said that the Australian teams would be invited to join the league, but a decision on how many sides from Australia would take part would be at the discretion of the Kiwi organisation based on factors including player numbers and welfare and financial strength.
Executives and pundits on the other side of the Tasman Sea, however, have been critical about the fact that there could be as few as two Australian teams in the proposed competition.
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has gone on to describe his organisation’s relationship with their Kiwi counterparts as that of a “master-servant” dynamic, while ex-RA boss John O’Neill has hit back at former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen’s claim that NZR doesn’t owe Australia anything.
Current All Blacks boss Ian Foster has also weighed into the debate, as have scribes from New Zealand, Australia and England, but the potential inclusion of Japanese teams is an aspect of the conversation that has seemingly flown under the radar.
An English rugby writer has fired a few shots at New Zealand Rugby over the attitude towards including Australia in a potential new competition in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.https://t.co/I9PK9ROyow
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
However, Japan Rugby Football Union director Yuichiro Fujii is looking capitalise on the re-structure of Super Rugby as part of his task of strengthening the Brave Blossoms ahead of their 2023 World Cup campaign.
Fujii believes that Japan’s top clubs must compete against the best teams in the Southern Hemisphere if the national side is to enjoy the kind of success they found at last year’s World Cup, where they finished as quarter-finalists for the first time ever.
“It will improve the level and value of the domestic league and gain us international experience,” Fujii said, according to Kyodo News.
Despite their on-field struggles against teams from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina, the addition of the Sunwolves into Super Rugby in 2016 was credited as part of the reason behind Japan’s success at the 2019 World Cup.
Although the Tokyo-based franchise have since dissipated, Fujii is hopeful of exposing the best teams from Japan’s star-studded Top League to the best from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.
Backed by national coach Jamie Joseph, Fujii will present his plans for Japanese involvement with teams from the Southern Hemisphere to the JRFU.
Kyodo News said a potential format could see the Top League champions and another squad made up of players from around the league – similar to that of the Sunwolves – take part in a new competition.
Fujii said the July international window would need to be moved to autumn – potentially in place of the Rugby Championship, which has been the subject of being re-scheduled to March and April – to free up room on the calendar for such a league.
“If it’s held in June and July, it wouldn’t overlap with either the Top League or national team activities,” he said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCJHB_hgvr3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The Top League has proven to be a popular destination for players from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa looking to ply their trade abroad.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season, but new signings for that campaign included Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Malcolm Marx, Samu Kerevi, Damien de Allende, Bernard Foley, Christian Lealiifano, Duane Vermeulen, Matt Todd, David Pocock, Liam Squire, Kwagga Smith and Ryan Crotty, to name a few.
Other foreign stars, such as Dan Carter and Matt Giteau, were already playing in Japan’s premier club competition, while members of the successful Japanese World Cup squad feature prominently throughout the league.
All Blacks playmaker and two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett is the latest overseas star to join the Top League ranks, as he will link up with Suntory Sungoliath next year on a six-month sabbatical deal reportedly worth NZ$1.5m.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments