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Sayonara Sunwolves? Japanese franchise faces chop from Super Rugby

By Online Editors
The Sunwolves. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Just one week after their landmark win over the Chiefs in Hamilton, the Sunwolves are facing suggestions they may be culled from Super Rugby.

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According to The Daily Telegraph, the Tokyo-based franchise could be cut from the competition as early as next year as Sanzaar contemplate reverting Super Rugby back to a 14-team tournament.

South African officials are said to be leading the charge for the omission of the Sunwolves in a financially-motivated move that would see the cash-strapped South African Rugby Union receive a greater slice of monetary pie.

However, Fox Sports understands that Rugby Australia has thrown its support behind the existence of the Sunwolves – who compete in the Australian conference in Super Rugby – while the franchise itself highlighted to Stuff that their participation agreement is in place until the end of the 2020 season.

Furthermore, the Sunwolves have also been included in next season’s draw, suggesting they are still in Sanzaar’s future plans.

Sanzaar officials are expected to meet in the United Kingdom on Sunday to discuss plans around the future of Super Rugby, just days before representatives from tier one nations, Fiji and Japan will congregate in Dublin to negotiate details of the recently-announced World Rugby Nations Championship.

A new Super Rugby broadcasting deal isn’t expected to come to fruition until 2021, when many are anticipating a radical shake-up of the existing competition structure.

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That could mean reducing the number of participating teams to 14, but the culling of the Sunwolves – or any other side in the competition – could be made by 2020 should broadcasters agree that it’s in the best interest to do so.

It wouldn’t be the first time Sanzaar has cut teams from Super Rugby.

After expanding from 15 to 18 teams in 2016 under a new broadcast deal, the tournament was reverted back to a 15-team structure last year during the current deal following a vast array of lopsided results and a decreased quality of competition.

The Southern Kings and the Cheetahs of South Africa and the Western Force of Australia were the victims of that culling, with the South African franchises transferring to the Pro14 competition in Europe, while the Force were overtaken by billionaire Andrew Forrest, who formed his own league – Global Rapid Rugby – for the Perth-based club to partake in.

Incidentally, the report from The Daily Telegraph comes after the Sunwolves have enjoyed their most successful start to a season in their brief history.

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After sustaining a 45-10 drubbing at the hands of the Sharks in Singapore, the Tony Brown-coached side were unlucky to lose to the Waratahs 31-30 in Tokyo, before upsetting the Chiefs 30-15 at Waikato Stadium to post their first-ever win away from home.

They face the winless Blues at QBE Stadium in Albany this weekend.

The Short Ball – The World Rugby Nations Championship Debacle:

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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