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http://www.espn.com.au/rugby/story/_...r-rugby-report
Asia's only Super Rugby-based side is set to be axed from the competition.
According to reports, the Sunwolves involvement in Super Rugby is set to end after South Africa Rugby led the push to remove the side from the competition citing a lack of local interest to their matches and the travel time being too taxing.
Players and officials within the team were made aware of their axing on Tuesday night, leaving them devastated.
A Sunwolves representative told The Australian SANZAAR had requested the side pay a participation fee but the club had refused.
No other club pays a participation fee.
Ok, theres a Japanese team for Global Rapid Rugby.
Gees they don’t learn! Commiserations to Sunwolves fans I can feel your pain after going through the same thing with the Force!! Please come to GRR!
So if travel being too taxing is an issue, I guess the Jaguares will be playing in Port Elizabeth next year
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
So... Sunwolves are going to come join us in GRR?! I'm down for that!
"Believe in the best, think your best, study your best, have a goal for your best, never be satisfied with less than your best, try your best, and in the long run things will turn out for the best."
I can't understand how the host country for the World Cup has their own team kicked out of Super Rugby!
From the Australian
Japanese cull causes anxiety
MARCH 19, 2019
It is understood SANZAAR has resolved to jettison Japanese team the Sunwolves from Super Rugby, but the implications for the four Australian franchises could also be dire.
No announcement has been made by SANZAAR, although Japanese sources are expecting the news to be delivered in a phone hook-up later this week.
Japan had been asked to provide a financial guarantee it would pay its way in Super Rugby but was not in a position to do so.
A spokesperson for the Sunwolves said, while the club could commit to some of the clauses in the agreement, some it could not.
In particular, it objected to being asked to pay a Super Rugby participation fee, which is asked of no other franchise.
The decision to cull the Sunwolves is one South Africa has been openly advocating. It has made no secret its broadcaster does not want to put the Sunwolves to air, its teams do not want to travel to Tokyo, Singapore or Hong Kong to play them and South African fans have voted with their feet and stayed away from Sunwolves matches.
Australia, equally, has made no secret of the fact it supports the Sunwolves’ retention, which makes the SANZAAR decision another slap in the face for a country which once swayed not only SANZAAR but world rugby.
Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle is on a tour around the franchises alerting them of SANZAAR’s intentions regarding the Japanese side, but it is understood she has been met with a fairly cool reception.
Not only are the clubs openly questioning the long-term strategy of cutting Japan at a time when it is becoming increasingly significant from a rugby economics perspective, but there is the more pressing matter that reducing Super Rugby to a 14-team competition could jeopardise the survival of all Australian clubs.
While it will mean a return to a round robin competition, with every team playing every other side — which does restore financial integrity to Super Rugby — it also means each franchise will play only 13 regular home games over a two-year period, seven one season, six the next.
That’s a crippling blow to clubs that are barely surviving on the current diet of eight home matches per season and eight away.
The Queensland Reds last week indicated they will report a $1.09 million loss, admittedly attributable to a rogue sponsor, and the other franchises were taking the view that cutting back Super Rugby to just 13 matches in a regular season could be catastrophic.
Castle is believed to have told the Australian teams any shortfall in revenue can be made up by a bigger cut of a larger broadcast pie, which is a direct pointer to the fact Australia and SANZAAR believe World Rugby will succeed in its plans to get the Nations Championship up and running.
Whether that belief is misplaced will soon become evident, with the rugby world sitting patiently while the European nations decide by the end of the month if they will put their own wealth and prosperity ahead of salvation of the world game.
If the Six Nations members opt to sell 30 per cent of their competition to the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, it would be giving the metaphorical middle finger to every other rugby nation.
The major southern hemisphere powers would soldier on as always, playing the Rugby Championship, but what so far has not been explained is what the impact would be on tier two countries such as Japan and the Pacific island nations.
Without World Rugby funding, it would be a brave move for SANZAAR to push ahead with its plans to admit Japan and Fiji.
If the Six Nations effectively decide to go it alone, what becomes of plans to create a pathway for tier two and three nations to share the wealth through promotion and relegation?
While Australia and other SANZAAR nations are sifting through the wreckage of their bold 2016 plan to expand Super Rugby to 18 teams, Japan is still waiting on official word, though it has been preparing itself for several weeks.
Indications are SANZAAR delegates have eased their conscience over dropping the Sunwolves from Super Rugby by the World Rugby plan to promote Japan to the Rugby Championship and ultimately the Nations Championship.
However, it is bewildering the world body would stand by and allow a nation to achieve Test status and then simultaneously be robbed of the chance to be competitive by being dropped from the competition designed to prepare players for Test level rugby.
So RA are banking on this new World League to be approved to save their bacon.
Poster on Roar mentions Fox would bet the Force be brought back in to Super - hope to christ NO!!!! Glad to be out of that shit show! And with Robbie Deans comments in the West, seems to all be pointing to Japan coming onboard GRR. Interesting times.
Man South Africa really hold a grudge.
Japan players first joined Super teams
Then got their own team
All to improve Japan at Test level
Japan beats South Africa
South Africa wants Japan out
Or we could move ththe GRR season to its originally intended position in the calendar later in the year and play in both competitions.
Or we just keep pushing forward on the GRR train..
I do feel for the sunwolves fans though, just like the Force they had a large solid fan base and now they are left with nothing. What a total balls up Clyne and co made axeing the Force, if this isnt evidence they culled the wrong team then nothing is. This next broadcast deal looks like it will be a laughing stock
Had a look at his Twitter and the below could be a concern (if accurate) for whatever Twiggy's comp is called this week.
Verified account
@sumostevenson
3h3 hours ago
More
JRFU believes University Competition and Top League provide enough depth as plans are made to join Nations Championship via SANZAAR
As much as I hated the culling of the Force it has seen a lift in the ratings. Which unfortunately as far as Clyne and Co. are concerned justifies their actions.
And once again apparently one of the parties behind the removal of the Sunwolves was the Japanese Union themselves. Likely because they weren't keen on paying the participation fee. GRR should certainly consider talking to them. Not having to pay that fee plus being able to play all their home games in Tokyo would be very appealing to them. They'd also be very competitive in GRR.
South Africa pushes for Japanese inclusion in Super Rugby to prop up one of the South African conferences.
Sunwolves forced to play every game against South African sides in Singapore in front of empty stands and used "lack of local support" as a reason for booting them.
South Africa says travel time is too much despite Johannesburg to Singapore being a shorter flight than Johannesburg to Sydney by an hour and a half.
Delicious yet sad - Sunwolves supporters have been the best and don't deserve to be treated this way, nor does the team - 'participation fee'? I'd tell SANZAAR to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. I wonder if Twiggy is on the plane to Tokyo as we speak?
Delicious because it means Clyne will squirm some more when the questions start rolling in from the Aussie teams about what the board did to support the Sunwolves continuing participation.
Last edited by andrewM; 20-03-19 at 13:52.