The South African Rugby Union decided Tuesday to withdraw its top club teams from Super Rugby in favor of playing in Europe's PRO14 league, and blamed New Zealand for the sudden breakup of the southern hemisphere competition. The decision was made after a vote of ...
SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos admitted Monday that Super Rugby sowed the seeds of its own demise when it launched an ambitious expansion plan for the Southern Hemisphere competition. Marinos also raised doubts over whether a planned trans-Tasman competition would proceed next year, and conceded ...
New Zealand Super Rugby competition ends on bizarre note due to COVID-19
The Otago Highlanders stormed home to beat the Wellington Hurricanes 38-21 as Super Rugby Aotearoa, a competition launched with much fanfare when New Zealand believed it had eliminated COVID-19, closed early with the return of the virus. The scheduled final match, a showdown on Sunday ...
Australia puts New Zealand on clock for trans-Tasman tournament
Rugby Australia has given New Zealand a three-week deadline to agree to a trans-Tasman competition in 2021 that will include five Australian teams or face organizing its own domestic tournament next year. RA interim chief executive Rob Clarke said the governing body was submitting tender ...
JRFU executive pushes for Top League sides' inclusion in new Southern Hemisphere tournament
If Japan's national rugby team is to grow stronger in the long term, the country's top clubs must compete against the best from the Southern Hemisphere, according to Japan Rugby Football Union Director Yuichiro Fujii. Fujii, who is tasked with strengthening the Brave Blossoms ahead ...
Sunwolves bosses express pride, regret at end of Super Rugby tenure
Sunwolves CEO Yuji Watase and head coach Naoya Okubo emphasized the contributions that the team made during its five years in the Southern Hemisphere competition.
Sunwolves' time in Super Rugby over as team's bid to join tourney in Australia fails
Japan's Super Rugby team had been attempting to join a competition hosted by Rugby Australia.
The Sunwolves could still compete in an upcoming tournament in Australia with that country's Super Rugby sides, CEO Yuji Watase said in a statement released Saturday. In the statement on the club's website, Watase said Rugby Australia was negotiating with the Australian government to find ...
Japan's Sunwolves are aiming to participate in a tournament between Super Rugby teams in Australia that is scheduled to start in July. The Sunwolves' final season in Super Rugby was cut short in March, when the new coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of the competition ...
Super Rugby side Queensland Reds have suspended Wallabies lock Izack Rodda and two other players for declining to accept pay cuts that were agreed to by the players' union amid a shutdown of the season due to the coronavirus outbreak. Rodda, fullback Isaac Lucas and ...
New Zealand's Super Rugby players will begin what coaches have deemed to be a "second preseason" on Monday as they return to training following a relaxation of health and travel restrictions imposed after the novel coronavirus pandemic. Southern hemisphere rugby's governing body SANZAAR postponed the ...
Former New Zealand head coach and current England defense chief John Mitchell believes some good may come for rugby union from the coronavirus if it creates "greater professionalism" thanks to a concentration of talent at fewer clubs worldwide, including Super Rugby. Even before COVID-19 forced ...
