Multiple outlets are today reporting that Japan’s Super Rugby franchise – the Sunwolves – will be axed from the competition.
SportTalk NZ reports that SANZAAR will issue a statement on the ‘future of Super Rugby’ at 2pm (AEDT) on Friday.
Despite perennial poor play from the lone Asian side, no credible threats to their survivability appeared to exist until today’s shock news.
Given Japan is hosting the Rugby World Cup later this year, as well as the current Super Rugby broadcast deal running until 2020, the news comes at a curious time for the game.
While reports are conflicting as to when the removal will take place at a later date, The Daily Telegraph’s Jamie Pandaram originally reported the club would be axed at the end of the season, with next year seeing the competition reduced to 14 teams and the conference system also dumped.
But now he, as well as other outlets, claim the Sunwolves will depart once the current broadcast deal expires in 2020.
How the team will manage to play out this season and all of next season in the knowledge they’re set to be axed remains unclear.
Neither SANZAAR nor the club have made any comment on today’s news, although Pandaram reports that the players and officials learned of their fate last night.
There are also no reports as to whether SANZAAR is looking at bringing a previous axed club back to take the Sunwolves place. Given News Corp is reporting broadcasters are excited at the prospect of a simplified format, however, that appears unlikely for the time being.
Reports as to the official reasoning behind the club’s axing, are surprisingly unrelated to the team’s poor onfield results.
The Daily Telegraph reports South Africa’s sides had always been opposed to travelling to Asia for games and were unhappy with being asked to support the Japanese side financially – as all Super Rugby sides do.
With no long term backers coming from Japan, South Africa reportedly threatened to take a larger share of the Super Rugby broadcast rights if Australian and New Zealand insisted on propping up the Sunwolves.
Additionally, The Australian reports the Sunwolves objected to new financial terms SANZAAR was attempting to impose on them – including an allegedly club-exclusive ‘Super Rugby participation fee’.
With much of Japan Rugby’s revenue being diverted to the Top League domestic competition instead, additional financial drain on their Super Rugby commitment was reportedly untenable.
The news caps off a tumultuous few years for Super Rugby, who already axed South Africa’s Cheetahs and Kings alongside Australia’s Western Force in recent seasons.
The Sunwolves were originally added to the competition in 2016, when Super Rugby expanded to 18 teams.
Despite being awarded the 2019 World Cup hosting rights back in 2009, putting a Super Rugby team in Asia didn’t gain serious traction until 2014, after Japan’s national side broke into the top ten rankings for the first time.
Their existing domestic competition – the Top League – was also attracting bigger names from overseas each year, while a stunning upset win over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup seemingly solidified Japan’s status as a rising rugby power.
In Super Rugby, however, that didn’t eventuate. The Sunwolves were woefully uncompetitive over the first three seasons – racking up six wins, one draw and 39 losses. So far in 2019, the Japanese side have won one of four matches.
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
1. lol (yeah I'm having a chuckle at you) what... you think you can run around having a crack at someone then you're genuinely bewildered when they come straight back at you? 2. frazzled? clearly reading isn't your strong point. I get alerts that some numpty has commented... I told you that... 3. Keithy isn't offensive to me... it just shows the extent and the intelligence of your repartee 4. really? oh you're very very good.... 5. No, I simply summed you up as a hanky wringer with a limited world view. I can only do this based on the drivel you keep producing 6. Playing YOUR game... and giving it straight back to you
John R
Roar Guru
Alright, I've had a read of your essay: 1: Claiming someone will have to try better with their insults, and then calling them sunshine, and hanky wringer? Ground breaking stuff. Surprised you haven't wheeled out champ yet. 2: Telling someone to get out more, when you are so frazzled you are coming back and checking to see if I've responded, and commenting again when your original response has been moderated away? I saw your response, then got another notification. Says a lot about you. 3: Why is Keithy so offensive to you? It's literally a 'Y' at the end of your name. 4: "Out in the big bad world" - you're on the internet. 5: Group hugs and love ins? You are resorting to pseudo psychology, and fantasising some life for me, and you're claiming I don't have 'ANY' reasoned argument. 6: Playing the man and not the ball. So what exactly are you doing? The irony is strong with this one!
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
errr…. no, just pointing out that you played the man and not the ball…. couldn’t be any clearer… or should I use smaller words for you?
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
lol (yes, that's old timey still laughing at you).... no, there isn't any law against commenting on the politics of a decision... even self appointed moral police like you can't stop that... I don't claim to have any moral superiority. I'm really amused that you've had it spelt out but still don't get it/baffled.... I gave you 3 options sunshine.... and I'm gonna enjoy this....
John R
Roar Guru
You're going around complaining about a game you claim not watch, yet are trying to claim some moral high ground and integrity? Are you completely bereft of self awareness?
John R
Roar Guru
I only read the last bit, but if your happy to acknowledge that coming onto a rugby website just to complain and claim you don’t watch rugby is a douche move, then I’ll apologise and we can move forward amicably. Not sure why you feel like you’ve got some moral superiority / integrity here, honestly baffling.
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
John, I'm going to take time out and spell out a few things for you... ... I've come onto The Roar and made a comment about an issue. I've not attacked any poster here yet you've seen fit to have a crack at me. You've clearly played the man and not the ball with no justification whatsoever. You've not made a constructive observation at any point about the issue and have simply engaged in low brow insults for no reason whatsoever. Now, not knowing if you're young and dumb, or just dumb, I've initially given you the benefit of the doubt and asked what issue you have with my commenting. Being inexperienced, you've ignored the caution and plunged on with a seriously inane justification and further insults in response. So I've pegged you as just dumb. Your whole stated reason for having a crack at me in your response is that you're annoyed and you think I'm seeking attention, because I claimed to have no interest. Well, I didn't claim that, you know that and I pointed that out to you. I also pointed out that I was quite within my rights to come on here and make a comment. Your problem now is that you've started something you don't know how to finish because you've played the man and are getting it straight back. Now here I'm going to go out on a limb. You've mentioned I haunt the pages like a miserable ghost, so I'm betting you're quoting Malcolm Turnbull (or Krudd?) and think it's a cool insult. It shows a limited world view. Your whole reason for having a crack at me is because you're annoyed I've expressed an opinion. That tells me you're someone with an inflated sense of entitlement and loves to express his outrage at someone who doesn't conform to your views. Then you've called me pathetic for checking responses when we both know that I, like you get alerts when someone has responded on The Roar. Wrong again. As far as the Mods deleting my response about you being miserable, well I accept that calling you miserable was possibly confronting and might have hurt your feelings.. perhaps the Mods could look at your whole approach... but I digress.. I keep (and will continue to) responding because I'm very entertained by your predicament and I continue to laugh at you.... You've got nowhere to go other than continue to look like an idi@t or apologize. In the absence of ANY reasoned argument about the issue, you've resorted to calling me 'Keithy'. Now while I'm out on that bet, I'm going to assume that you really have very little life experience and beyond (Uni?) group hugs and love ins, haven't had the exposure to anything harder than school ground taunts because you work in an 'inclusive' environment.... and anything else is 'old timey'... Well sunshine, out in the big bad world we call people like you hanky wringers. Hanky wringers don't get it. They pontificate, insult and moralize but don't realize that (in your case) their original reason for getting annoyed/outraged and the whole thread of insults is neither appropriate or correct. I didn't claim to have "no interest" and I'm entitled to have a say. So, you have three choices. 1. you can man up and apologize for playing the man and not the ball with your insults and move on, 2. you can quietly disappear from this thread without further response, or 3. you can continue entertaining me with the responses and I will continue to mock you . Over to you....
John R
Roar Guru
It's fine to use, if you want to give the impression that you are a teenage girl with a limited vocabulary.
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
well I thought lol was ok because I'm still having a laugh at you and your banal manner (you can look that one up if you like) aaah evolution... is that what you are? evolved? from what?
John R
Roar Guru
Sure, absolutely an upgrade on your old timey insults, really evolved stuff Keith - might be an idea to figure out how to start s comment with out saying ‘lol’ as well.
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
lol... ok... is calling you a hanky wringer better?
John R
Roar Guru
You’re calling people sunshine. Real high ground ya got there
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
lol, I’m glad you saw it then… sums you up and hey sunshine… you really ought to come up with some better stuff than “keithy” if you’re gonna call other people pathetic
John R
Roar Guru
How pathetic to come back and have another lame attempt at a reply, after your original reply got removed. Like you are literally coming back and checking this, repeatedly, and you’re telling me to get out? Hahaha. That’ll do you Keithy.
Keith (no longer) of WA
Roar Rookie
lol... I'm quite entitled to come on here, and if that annoys you well then you need to get out more... never claimed to have no interest, just don't watch it.... read it again sunshine...
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
No prob Sheek. If Sanzaar members are going to cross subsidize teams the they should be looking at the Pacific rim. Only not Japan. If the Japanese want to expand and grow rugby let them take ownership. Firstly they are already going to benefit massively financially through many avenues including tourism from The World cup, but secondly the country can easily afford to grow the game through its own resources. Then they can join us.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
You’re probably right, but I guess the difference in my eyes is that there is a lot of Japanese rugby talent, so let’s ger the Sunwolves to really use them and help their development! There isn’t the same quality of rugby players from Melbourne. Haha, something went wrong there!
andrewM
Roar Rookie
Regardless, as the Force are a professional rugby team they should be given a vote just like all other professional rugby teams in Australia
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Fionn How many 'Victorians' move from the Rebels to the Brumbies. I'd suggest there's less Vics in the Rebels than there are Japanese in the Sunwolves. And even then - the Vics in the Rebels have a bit of a common heritage....Sione Tuipulotu, Robert Leota and Fereti Sa'aga. (anyone else?). btw - check out the player height/weight stats for Reece Hodge.
John R
Roar Guru
It's annoying that someone who claims to have no interest, haunts these pages like a miserable ghost, sooking and (I presume?) seeking attention by saying they don't watch 'this cr@p'