Japanese Super Rugby Team

[Highlander35]

Really?

Just double checked. Triple C1 Vertebrae fracture sustained in a pre-season friendly against Munster later that year, while he missed the Fijian and Samoan Tests due to the concussion sustained.

 

[MrTabua]

Thanks for that. Glad you took the time to check.

Anything else you'd like to add about Scottish rugby not garnered from ubiquitous Google?

 

[Highlander35]

Not really. Perhaps that we have the most 5 Nations titles. Otherwise everything else either is or should be pretty obvious.

Oh, and we're pretty shit too.

Back on track, absolutely 110% the correct decision, hopefully it will begin further growth in Japan and the entire Asian region, and see Japan start developing up the rankings.

People can bemoan the system all they like, but the top 14 Nations are the 6 Nations, The 4 Rugby Championship sides, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

That's pretty spot on right now. Although a lucky win could see the Georgians leapfrog the Azzuri come November, Only 0.46 points behind in 14th and 15th respectively, Italy play Samoa and Georgia, Tonga in week 1.

Damnitt, I get off track real fast don't I?

 

[MrTabua]

"We have the most 5 Nations titles"?

Bill McLaren would have loved that.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

Now that Japan have the Super Rugby Gig - and rightly so, it would be interesting to Revisit the Singapore Deal with the Singapore Government...

I see the ridiculous spectacle of Samoa playing England n League, and recognise we need to do something about the encroachment of League money into the Islands - Is there an opportunity to include an Islander Team, and perhaps a PNG Team into the NRC?

Yes - it is our 3rd Tier - but we also need to keep the standard high with our limited pool of players...

 

[rugbyskier]

the beauty of Japan been included is one more super rugby match in the Australasian timezone

With a -2hours time difference, primetime in Japan(7:30pm) should be 5:30pm AEST.

Other way around. During the daylight saving period Japan is two hours behind, so 7:30pm in Japan is 9:30pm AEDT. When we come off daylight saving 7:30pm in Tokyo is 8:30pm in Sydney.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

Didnt realise till today that Super Rugby Japan had its own thread.

They are in the Saffa conference right? I think in time they'll end up in the Oz conference. To me that makes better sense. We've got a pretty spirited rivalry with the Japanese in the soccer. I could see it transferring over nicely to the Rugby.

Very happy to see them get the nod ahead of Singapore though.

 

[TahDan]

I really love Japan, but I just don't see this working... The Japanese Top League is hurting the game over there in a lot of ways (being organised purely on a company basis doesn't help build appeal) and it hasn't grown hardly at all - if at all - for about 20 years.

 

[Omar Comin']

I really love Japan, but I just don't see this working. The Japanese Top League is hurting the game over there in a lot of ways (being organised purely on a company basis doesn't help build appeal) and it hasn't grown hardly at all - if at all - for about 20 years.

Well the Japanese super rugby team won't be a company team so hopefully it will be able to grow support.

Definitely a fair risk of failure, especially considering the competition structure, but the potential gains for SANZAR are huge if rugby can grow in Japan and Asia. Surely the longer term vision is to have a separate Asian conference within Super Rugby.

That and a genuinely competitive Japanese national team would bring big economic benefits to SANZAR.

 

[TahDan]

Well the Japanese super rugby team won't be a company team so hopefully it will be able to grow support.

Definitely a fair risk of failure, especially considering the competition structure, but the potential gains for SANZAR are huge if rugby can grow in Japan and Asia. Surely the longer term vision is to have a separate Asian conference within Super Rugby.

That and a genuinely competitive Japanese national team would bring big economic benefits to SANZAR.

Me too - but I worry about this nonsense of them playing half their games in bloody Singapore. It really just makes this whole thing look very poorly thought out.

 

[flat_eric]

Me too - but I worry about this nonsense of them playing half their games in bloody Singapore. It really just makes this whole thing look very poorly thought out.

Surely they can't be serious about doing that. It will never build support from the locals that way and will fall over within a few seasons.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

I still think they should offer Singapore Dragons a jersey in the NRC - perhaps even designate it as a feeder team to the Japs until they can get their own Super Rugby Admission... give them some kind of incentive to foster Singaporean, Japanese and Pacific Islander playing rosters...

I would like to see a PNG side in the NRC too in the next 6 - 10 years.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

The idea of playing "home" matches in Singapore applies only to SA sides & is a means to overcoming SA's complaints over their teams having to travel too much (never mind that their insistence on a 6th team started this whole thing). Still doesn't make it a good idea but we're probably only talking about 2 matches per season.