Super Rugby News
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@Stargazer dunno, for as good as the SW were, I think the Chiefs were poor, the Blues should account for them, but then this is still the BLues I guess.
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The Canes have signed Andries Ferreira for the rest of the 2019 SR season.
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Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau set to take on Reds after Leicester Tigers sign off on Super Rugby loan deal
SOS: Wallabies hooker set to take on Reds after loan deal
Wallabies great Tatafu Polota-Nau is back in Australian rugby and is set to take on the Reds on Saturday night, after the veteran hooker was granted a loan deal. Polota-Nau is in his second season with traditional English heavyweights Leicester Tigers, but has struggled for game in recent months. And after Test rake Tolu Latu was suspended for six weeks, the Waratahs inquired with the English club whether they could lure Polota-Nau back home on a short-term deal. Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson confirmed to reporters in Sydney on Monday afternoon that Polota-Nau was going through the final fine print to secure the deal. “We are pleased to welcome home internationally renowned hooker and NSW Waratahs’ own Tatafu Polota-Nau, to help fill a short term need with our squad,” Gibson said. -
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@Tim If it's true, it's not really surprising. Even with small improvements in performance since they joined the competition, what have they actually contributed to the development of rugby in Japan? You only have to look at the make-up of their squad - with an incredible number of non-Japanese born players - to know that that contribution can't be very significant. This is not a Japanese SR team, this is a multi-national team of SR rejects.
Going back to a SR 14 opens the door to abolishing the conference system and returning to a shorter regular season (13 matches) than currently (16 matches). Fewer games and less travel; it's good from a player welfare point of view, which should also benefit the quality of the games. The question is, what's the financial impact of such a decision on the competition. I have no idea what Japanese broadcasters/sponsors are currently contributing in that respect.
Maybe they should join the Major League Rugby in North America.
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I don’t know what their deal is worth, but I doubt that the Sunwolves bring any many new rugby viewers - most are already fans of the Japan league, and accordingly already subscribe to the main provider (J-sport), so my guess is that you’re right about the lack of impact on TV rights. With that in mind, moving to a 14 team competition would be ideal.
Even better if they split the Jags and got Argentina, the US, Japan, and other pacific teams in a Super rugby D2 division.
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Springbok hooker Ralepelle fails drugs test - reports
South African rugby has been rocked by reports that Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle has failed a drugs test.
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"Sprained his ankle. How bad, we will find out tomorrow," Robertson said.
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Controversial ex-Rebels star returns to Super Rugby despite assault charges
Blockbusting Japanese No. 8 Amanaki Mafi, who is still undergoing legal proceedings for his role in an assault case against former Rebels teammate Lopeti Timani in Dunedin last year, is set to return to Super Rugby.
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@Tim Not a huge loss considering the backbone of that squad is made up of Kiwis. Kind of a shame though as they had great support at home matches in Tokyo and have shown they have the ability to compete.
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@Canes4life said in Super Rugby News:
@Tim Not a huge loss considering the backbone of that squad is made up of Kiwis. Kind of a shame though as they had great support at home matches in Tokyo and have shown they have the ability to compete.
I work for a Japanese company and the ones from Tokyo mentioned that while they were reasonably supported the clubs didn't support the team and also outside of the local base of fans there wasn't much support outside the area.
