Thursdays Rugby News sees The Sunwolves axed!, New tackle laws in France, Twiggy to the rescue? and the Force name their squad.
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SUNWOLVES AXED
The Japanese Super Rugby team the Sunwolves have been removed from the competition with the Players and Staff expected to be informed Tuesday or Wednesday, and an offical SANZAAR statement expected to be released 2pm AEDST on Friday.
The move to remove the Sunwolves is part of a play to turn Super Rugby into a round-robin format with 14 teams, rather than the current conference system.
It remains unclear as to when the Sunwolves will be closing their doors, if SANZAAR will make them pack up at the end of the season or honour their agreement.
The Sunwolves have had a less than stellar start in their first four seasons, with only eight wins from 40 matches.
Though they do have a loyal following that regularly sees 15,000 people at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo, a number Australian teams would kill to have.
Reports indicated that the removal of the Sunwolves came from opposition in South Africa and their broadcaster Super Sports, with the South Africans disking the long travel to Japan and Singapore and unhappy with the low ratings for the matches.
Initially the Sunwolves were in the South African conference before joining the Australian one.
What makes the whole situation bizarre is the timing of the announcement. It halfway through the season, when they are still contracted to play next year (end of 2020) and it was exactly six months until the start of the Rugby World Cup hosted in Japan.
Australia and New Zealand franchises have thrown their support behind the retention of the Sunwolves in Super Rugby, with many of the teams having a commercial and sponsorship deals with Japanese companies.
The reduction down to 14 teams has Australian Super Rugby officials concerned that it would mean only 13 home games in two season, meaning a serious loss of revenue for our franchises who are already struggling.
Stay tuned for the offical announcement on Friday.
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NEW TACKLE LAWS IN FRANCE
New tackle laws will be trialed in French amateur rugby next season in an effort to reduce the risk of injury will include lower tackle height and removing the two-man tackle.
“We’re going to work on lowering the height of the tackle down to the waist and we are aiming to prohibit two-man tackles,” French Rugby Federation’s (FFR) technical director Didier Retiere said at a Player Welfare and Law Symposium in Paris.
“We have been given the green light for amateur competitions with youngsters and adults and we’re waiting for the green light to eventually bring the changes into the academy competitions,” he added.
Four young French players have lost their lives when playing since last May, including Stade Francais teenager Nicolas Chauvin after breaking his neck.
As a former assistant coach for France (2007-11), Retiere believes that the developments will lead to a better quality of game.
“Tackling around the shorts allows the ball carrier to off-load and allows them to break the line,” Retiere said
“Defensive lines will have to put two or three players in the back-field so we could have less players in front line of defence.”
This isn’t the first time that World Rugby has trialed new tackle laws in recent times, with the ‘below the nipple rule’ trialed in the U20s World Rugby Trophy in Romania last year.
It was all part of an trial of eight different law variations that World Rugby examine over a four year period between World Cups, with World Rugby chief executive officer Brett Gosper saying the results of the trials could be released within 12 months’ time.
“Relatively quickly in the first half of next year we can already get some results, hopefully positive on some of these changes,” he told AFP.
“Those law trials will go through the Laws Review group and the Rugby Committee before being discussed and maybe even improved in some aspects of it.”
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TWIGGY TO THE RESCUE…MAYBE
As one door closes another one opens as the old saying goes.
In the wake of the axing of the Sunwolves it appears that they could have a new home. Twiggy Ball, or World Series Rugby, or Global Rapid Rugby, or just Rapid Rugby.
The concept is still up in the air until SANZAAR make their offical statement on Friday, with them being unable to make any broad changes to the Rugby Championship until World Rugby comes to an agreement regarding the future of the League of Nations, sorry Legion of Doom, sorry Champions Rugby. That information should come to light when a deadline of March 29th fast approaching.
If the 12 team competition comes through, it most likely would see Fiji join the Rugby Championship, with potential for Japan to be the 6th team in the Southern Hemisphere part of the competition.
It is believed that SANZAAR would endorse an Asia Super Rugby competition, part owned by Andrew Forrest that would include the current Rapid Rugby teams, the Western Force, Fiji, Samoa, Hong Kong and Singapore. The Sunwolves could join, along with a team from Maylasia and even potential for a second Australian team, with rumours floating it could be a Western Sydney team.
The Newcastle Hunter Rugby Union was reported to be in “high level” discussions with the Rapid Rugby team about joining the competition.
A Rapid Rugby spokes person deflected the conversation at the press conference to the Western Force’s match again Robbie Deans World XV on Friday night.
“The drive to provide an innovative and exciting brand of rugby throughout the Asia Pacific region in 2019 remains unchanged. Global Rapid Rugby is here for the long term,” a spokesperson said.
“On the eve of the first game of the 2019 Showcase Series, we are excited about what the rugby world is about to see and enjoy.”
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FORCE SQUAD IS IN
The Western Force will be captained once again by Ian Prior as they head into their first match of the year against Robbie Dean’s World XV on Friday Night.
It is a very similar team that competed in last years NRC competition.
Former Queensland Red hooker, Andrew Ready has been named on the bench, with Nick Jooste also set for his debut.
The Force’ speedster Rod Davies is out due to an ankle injury sustained during his time with the Australian Mens Sevens in Vancouver.
Robbie Deans has a host of ex international players including former Wallabies Digby Ioane and Nick “The Honey Bachelor” Cummins, ex-All Blacks halfback Andy Ellis and prop Wyatt Crockett, Pumas Leonarde Senatore and ex-Springbok Gio Aplon.
The match will be played in Perth on Friday at 7.30pm (WA time). LIVE on SBS Viceland.
WESTERN FORCE
1. Cameron Orr 2. Feleti Kaitu’u 3. Keiran Longbottom 4. Johan Bardoul 5. Jeremy Thrush 6. Henry Stowers 7. Chris Alcock 8. Brynard Stander 9. Ian Prior 10. Andrew Deegan 11. Clay Uyen 12. Henry Taefu 13. Marcel Brache 14. Brad Lacey 15. Jack McGregor
Reserves
16. Andrew Ready 17. Harrison Lloyd 18. Chris Heiberg 19. Leon Power 20. Tevin Ferris 21. Issak Fines 22. AJ Alatimu 23. Nick Jooste
WORLD XV SQUAD
Gio Aplon (South Africa), Yoshikazu Fujita (Japan), Nick Cummins (Australia), Digby Ioane (Australia), Asaeli Tikoirotuma (Fiji), Dylan Riley (Australia), Inga Finau (New Zealand), Kosei Ono (Japan), Leon Fukofuka (Tonga), Andy Ellis (New Zealand, captain), Leonardo Senatore (Argentina), Hugh Renton (New Zealand), Michael Curry (New Zealand), Shota Fukui (Japan), Michael Oakman-Hunt (Australia), Jack Cornelsen (Australia), Hamish Dalzell (New Zealand), Tom Moloney (Australia), Chris King (New Zealand), Shohei Hirano (Japan), Wyatt Crockett (New Zealand), Greg Pleasants-Tate (New Zealand), Corey Flynn (New Zealand)
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