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'They'd do fine': All Blacks star Sam Whitelock backs Top League involvement in Super Rugby

Whitelock

All Blacks star Sam Whitelock believes that Japan’s best Top League sides would more than hold their own if they were allowed into a re-structured Super Rugby competition.

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Despite the four SANZAAR unions having Super Rugby and Rugby Championship agreements in place until 2025, speculation has been rife about the prospect of South Africa departing the southern hemisphere to join forces with European nations.

Favourable time zones and much more financial prosperity in Europe would presumably act as the main selling points for a cross-hemisphere switch, with the presence of the Cheetahs and Southern Kings in the Pro14 evidence that such a move could be viable.

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South Africa’s speculated departure from SANZAAR coincides with the highly-discussed future of Super Rugby, which has come into the spotlight as the economic downfall that has come with the coronavirus pandemic has forced a re-think about the competition’s structure.

A steep decline in fan interest and over-saturation of playing talent has deeply diminished the quality of the cross-border league, leading pundits in New Zealand and Australia to call for a revamped trans-Tasman competition with an Asia-Pacific element.

The imminent axing of the Sunwolves, however, is indicative of SANZAAR’s desire to stray away from the Asian market after the Japanese franchise struggled for competitiveness since their induction into Super Rugby in 2016.

Back in New Zealand from a brief stint with the Panasonic Wild Knights in the Top League, Whitelock said there could still be a place in a new-look Super Rugby format for some Japanese teams.

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The 31-year-old was impressed by the physicality and style of play in Japan’s premier domestic competition, which had attracted a plethora of international stars from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa following last year’s World Cup.

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“The actual style over there, there’s some really physical, athletic guys, and they play hard,” Whitelock said via Zoom.

“If they would step into a comp, I think they’d do fine. Especially if it’s the top two or three teams.

“But you never actually know until they get in there and have a go how they’re going to compete.

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“The top couple of teams would compete, it would be cool to have that Japanese style thrown in to a competition – whatever that competition looks like.”

Former World Cup-winning Wallabies midfielder Tim Horan last month suggested that the Australasian nations should look to tap into Asia and the Pacific rather than persist with South Africa and Argentina, whose unfavourable time zones have become unattractive for fans and broadcasters.

“Super Rugby will look very different in the next five years,” he said on Fox Sports.

“I think it’s probably got to be an Asian-Pacific type model – Australia, New Zealand and allow Japan to stay in the model.

“Then you look at Fiji, Samoa, Tonga.”

Those sentiments were echoed by former All Blacks first-five Andrew Mehrtens, who appeared on the offtheball.com podcast alongside ex-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika earlier this week.

“New Zealand is going to benefit ultimately from a revamped Super Rugby, and Australia will too,” Mehrtens said.

“I’ve said for quite a while now that while the competition has expanded, it hasn’t expanded in a consistent or logical way.

“It’s just added a couple of teams here and there. It went to 14, 15, then it went to 18 and dropped back down.

“The hindrance in Super Rugby is that there are games in Argentina now, and the time zone is not great for New Zealand and Australia, the same with South Africa.

“Not many people are watching even their own teams at 3am in the morning coming out of South Africa.”

A revised New Zealand-only domestic competition, dubbed Super Rugby Aotearoa, is scheduled to kick-off on June 13, while discussions for a similar concept in Australia are well underway.

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H
Hellhound 2 hours ago
Bok rule-benders are changing the game. They deserve respect

You want a lot of things that will never happen. You describe rugby League. You should go and watch that then. Rugby is supposed to be competitive. It's the opposition team that should figure out how to defend and turn it into an attack on the fly. The Boks play within the rules. Everyone says that kick off should have been a penalty. The law state that from a kick off it's a scrum. It's confusing as with mauls and rucks, the player has to be behind the kicker. The same does not hold true for kick offs. That law they can change, because the same rule should apply across the board for players to be behind the kicker. It's not the first time that the infield lineout has been used, only the first time in an international match. If I remember correctly, the Barbarians used it against England in 2021 or 2022 (under correction). It's also been used in SR during the 2000’s. There is just this big hoo haw because the Boks did it. If it was another team like the Irish or England or the French or someone, it would be innovative, genius and brilliant. The dummy the AB's did where a player broke to the right, acting like he had the ball, meanwhile the scrumhalfs ran down the sideline and scored. I don't hear you cry about that. That can be seen as cynical play and there is even a case for unsportsmanlike behaviour and at a minimum a yellow card. Yet there is silence from you about that. I on the other hand thought that was a great tactic. It's also not a new invention, but an old one. You only love rugby when it suits you. I don't care what new tactics teams use, or whoever the team is that is doing it. Every new invention or tactic or play that the coaches comes up with is great for rugby. It keeps it interesting. There is no law that prevents other coaches using the same tactics or create their own. It's up to coaches to come up with defense strategies to cut that down, and even retaliate against it. The game is never boring. It keeps evolving. People keep talking about rugby and all these things is what draw new fans. They don't want boring. They want innovative and fun. They want to hear the crash of bodies. They want to see the strength of the scrums. They want to see the speed, agility and flair of the players. The amazing passes and jukes or side steps. The only reason you are so up in arms is because the Boks did it and now you want it banned. The same rhyme over and over. Matt Williams wannabe. Nah, you don't love rugby or else you would enjoy the most exciting era yet in this lovely sport. Stars in so many national teams has never been more abundant nor was there so many teams that could beat each other on any given day. Not to even mention watching an era of the most controversial but most innovative and clever coach ever. A dynasty that's to last for a very long time even after he retires. Like him or hate him, his genius is undeniable and he is recognised world wide as the best coach in most countries by fans and pundits alike, even if they don't like him. Stop the hate and rather enjoy what's to come.

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