Japan and Argentina will have teams in an expanded Super Rugby competition from 2016, SANZAR confirmed on Thursday.
The inclusion of franchises from Tokyo and Buenos Aires had been mooted for some time, the governing body for Australia, New Zealand and South African rugby rubber stamping their addition.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome the JRFU and UAR who will join the Kings from South Africa as Super Rugby prepares to expand into a bold and exciting new era,” SANZAR chief Greg Peters said in a statement.
“As top 10 ranked rugby nations with established high performance level leagues and over 100,000 players each, there is no doubt as to Japan and Argentina’s rugby readiness and passion for the sport.
“With a heritage stretching back some 115 years, Japan also offers tremendous infrastructure and an active fan base that we view as pivotal to the ongoing sustainability of the team.”
Japan’s inclusion had been considered a fait accompli given the country will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup and there is captive television audience to tap into.
“Joining the world’s highest international league is a challenge that will require significant transformation and tremendous efforts by us. However, it will certainly bring innovation to not only Japan, but also the Asian region as a whole,” chairman of the JRFU, Tatsuzo Yabe said.
The JRFU has also forged a relationship with the Singapore Rugby Union and Singapore Sports Hub that will see the venue host three games per year.
Argentina president Carlos Araujo said: “We now face a huge challenge both on the sporting and organisational fronts”.
Both the Japanese and Argentinian teams will play in the South African Group and will be positioned in opposing conferences.
There will be a total of 18 teams in the expanded competition.
You don't get it Eddard, I don't give two hoots what SARU wanted
Eddard
Roar Guru
Except for the 2 less home derby's per season - the games that get the biggest crowds and ratings and which the ARU valued the most. Super Rugby has always been about compromise. South Africa went into the negotiations with 2 priorities - a 6th team and a reduction in the time your teams are on the road. They got both.
Barely any different for OZ and NZ.
Eddard
Roar Guru
Your loss mate. I don't think they could invent a format that would stop me watching. Stopping watching something you enjoy as a protest of the format sounds like a waste to me. Especially as your criticism is about things that are barely any different to what is the case now. From a SA perspective it basically comes down to 3 games against Oz/NZ teams being replaced by games against Argentina and Japan. I'm personally looking forward to watching the Argentinian and Japanese teams.
Whatever you may be thinking, I said from the start of this possible format next year is my last
Eddard
Roar Guru
Whatever your opinion on the format there'll still be plenty of good rugby on each weekend. 1 more option each week. I think your threat to stop watching the tournament is an overreaction.
Too many compromises mate, you just don't want to see it. If I had my way SA would get out at the end of next year.
Eddard
Roar Guru
In the last deal the SARU were actually a bit cleverer than you give them credit for. Super Sport ended up paying a relatively lower amount for Super Rugby (which is split between the 3 unions) and a relatively higher amount for the Currie Cup (which all goes to the SARU). This is relative to the amount of content and the average ratings of the two competitions. There's no way that was by accident. I think you need to accept that because NZ and Australia are next door to each other, in basically the same time zone, that at super rugby level there's going to be more NZ vs Oz games than either vs South Africa. If games in South Africa weren't played in the middle of the night for Australian and Kiwi viewers then this might be different. But South Africa are still in the competition and still get plenty of games against foreign opposition! If the ARU had got it all their own way then there would have been two closed conferences - Australia/NZ (maybe with Asia as well) and South Africa/Argentina. With the best teams not meeting until a finals series. I think you're too worried about the even keel thing, The very best teams still make the finals in a conference system. Sure, maybe sometimes the lower ranked 'wildcard' qualifiers are helped by a better draw, but ultimately the teams that have a chance of winning the tournament are all there, and the best team wins. And over time the luck of the draw balances out. I actually think the best part of this expansion and new structure is that we'll get quarter finals!
Eddard, in my proposed format the top teams play equal amount of games against the other nations. SO your conference is the qualifier, which takes the place of the CUrrie CUp as an example. If we have a SUper 9 for example, the SA teams will each play 6 matches against overseas rivals, and so will the overseas teams. It keeps everything on even keel. The way it is now, SA is subsidising the conference matches for OZ vs NZ whilst losing out themselves I suggested a while ago it is inevitable that SA's use in this tournament is going to come to an end, then the ARU will simply dump them as they would have no use for us. This new model is just the first step
Eddard
Roar Guru
Super Rugby is becoming about more than just Australian, NZ and South African sides. Rugby is growing and South Africa will develop new rivalries. In the new format South African teams will play more than 50% of their matches against foreign sides - an increase on the current 50. Perhaps you think the Argentinian and Japanese sides will be extremely weak but I doubt that will be the case. The Argie side will likely be about 70% of their national team that almost beat the Springboks twice this year. Even if you're really against expansion into new markets and just anchor to the number of NZ/Aus games, then they will stay play more matches against NZ/Aus sides then in your preferred model of 3 domestic competitions followed by a super 6 round robin! Maybe you should give it a chance instead of giving up watching top level rugby for 5 months every year because of concerns about the structure of the competition! I have my own reservations about it but I'll still watch - because I like to watch high level rugby! I'm not thinking about the tournament structure when I watch games.
Eddard. Look at thse numbers. In Super 12, SA had 4 teams, that means we played 8/11 matches vs Australia and New Zealand Franchises. 73% In Super 14, SA had 5 teams, that means we played 9/13 matches vs Australia and New Zealand Franchises. 69% IN Super 15, SA had 5 teams, we played 8/16 matches vs Australia and New Zealand Franchises. 50% Under Super 18, SA will have 6 teams, but only play 5/15 matches against New Zealand and AUstralia Franchises 33% You don't see a trend? Look at OZ and NZ teams. They will get to play 8/15 matches against SA and OZ/NZ 53% Now tell the SA fans must be happy with this?
Eddard
Roar Guru
And if a competition has no credibility because not all the teams play the same opponents then you must think the NFL also has no credibility. Yet it's the biggest and most successful sporting league in the world.
Eddard
Roar Guru
Yet the South African teams will be playing each other less in the new format than the current format. So why haven't you already stopped watching? At the moment South African teams play 8 matches against foreign opponents. In the new format each South African team will still play 8 matches against foreign opponents. It's just 3 of those matches will be against the Argentinian and Japanese teams. 2 new styles of rugby to see your teams play against. I'm not trying to convince you it's a good format, but you criticise it for things that are no different than what is the case now. Especially when it comes to South African derby's as these will be reduced.
Eddard, we will have the Currie Cup, play a team twice, the conference, play some twice (four matches already) and some once (three matches), then Currie cup play offs (a fifth time) and if the meet in a semi for the Super Rugby (a potential sixth time) This is not why I watch Super Rugby, I watch it for the matches between us and the Antipodean teams which has now reduced to five. The competition has no credibility left as the teams don't play nearly the same opponents. You are never going to convince me this is going to be good.
Eddard
Roar Guru
They'll place each other less often in the new format than they do now BB. In the new format each South African team will play 2 other South African teams twice, and the other 3 South African teams once. At the moment they play all the teams twice. So if South African teams playing each other too often is your biggest dislike then the new format is an improvement!
Rebel
Guest
That's my preferred format also.
tc
Guest
Just to add something a bit different to the discussion, seemingly an organisation called NRFL (National Rugby Football League) will hold their second combine in January 2015 so they can recruit more NFL/NBA/NHL fringe players to their new pro Rugby comp. They have officially secured a pre start up game on the 1st of August 2015 against the UK's Leicester Tigers. The team (named Rough Riders) the Americans will put up against the Tigers will be a composite team made up of their combine players plus players from within the rugby community as well as a few imports, then after that they will start their new six team (4- US, 2- CAN) comp. Hears hoping.
balotelli
Guest
@Biltongbek....Please stop with this pie in the sky domestic stuff... This is as good as it can get,that format you call for will never materialise in our lifetimes.....
I wanted each country to have their domestic comp (Currie Cup/ITM Cup/NRC) to become their conference, each nation can then grow it to as many teams as they wanted. Tope two or three teams qualify for a Super 6 or 9 and play a single round robin. But like I said, it doesn't really matter, does it. SANZAR has made their decision on what they believe the future of SH rugby is going to be, whether I follow it or not is neither here nor there, they believe the market will grow
Emric
Guest
Bb what was the format you wanted to see?