Super Rugby organisers have given Japan’s Sunwolves the boot six months before the country hosts the World Cup
Super Rugby organisers SANZAAR have given the Japanese side the boot six months before the country hosts the World Cup, sparking concern about game's future in AsiaSunwolves CEO Yuji Watase speaks to the media at a press conference after the Super Rugby match between Sunwolves and Lions at National Stadium on March 23, 2019 in Singapore. Picture: GETTY IMAGES/LIONEL NG
Last week’s announcement by Super Rugby organisers SANZAAR comes as a humiliating blow to Asian rugby as Japan gears up to host the continent’s first World Cup later in 2019. The Sunwolves were brought into Super Rugby in 2016 to tap into new Asian markets but SANZAAR said it was not prepared to bankroll the perennial whipping boys after Japan’s rugby board withdrew financial support.
While Top League teams, backed by the corporate might of companies such as Kobe Steel and Panasonic, can attract rugby greats such as Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams, the Sunwolves were trawling for Super Rugby rejects in the run-up to their inaugural season. The Sunwolves divide their home fixtures between Tokyo — where they largely sell out — and fly-away games in Singapore, where they don’t come close.
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