Should Fiji replace Japan in Super Rugby?

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:07 pm

They were one of the founding members of the precursory South Pac Series, have made 2 World Cup quarter-finals, are in the right geographical zone, and have a 25K-seater stadium in Suva which is invariably packed for major international fixtures.

Japan, on the other hand, has lowered the standard of the competition and increased travel demands for all involved, while being in the wrong geographical zone, which means playing in the wrong season.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:13 pm

The Yes vote clearly out in front at this stage

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:29 pm

Of course, it would be a Super Rugby franchise, so they could just call it the Pacific Warriors or something, and include Samoans and Tongans as well.

Lizard · Post by **Lizard** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:58 pm

I can assure you the stadium was not packed for Scotland. Plenty of room on the terraces.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 10:31 pm

Well, the Crusaders-Chiefs Super Rugby clash last month drew almost 20K.

Anyway, nice back-to-back wins for the Flying Fijians against 6 Nations opposition.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 9:09 am

Neck & neck right now...

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 9:19 am

rowan wrote:Of course, it would be a Super Rugby franchise, so they could just call it the Pacific Warriors or something, and include Samoans and Tongans as well.

That would be quite something

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:12 pm

According to World Rugby stats, Fiji has 122 K registered players and almost 200 K in total, which is about quarter of its population. Only SA, England, France, Australia & NZ have more!

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:37 pm

So Fiji is, by World Rugby's own stats, the 6th biggest rugby playing nation in the world, and has the greatest number of players per capita in the world apart from neighbors Tonga and Samoa, respectively. Why aren't they a member of World Rugby's core committe? Georgia and Romania have recently been added, despite neither of them having ever made the World Cup QFs, and both having under 10 K reg. players. In fact, why not just give every tier 2 member nation one direct vote each?

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 3:00 pm

Meanwhile,, the Independent paints a pretty grim picture of Japan's 2019 World Cup prospects http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/a ... 62656.html

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:36 pm

The 'No' vote holds the narrowest of leads...

Post by **morepork** » Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:14 pm

Why do you hate Japan so?

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:16 pm

Why do you hate the Pacific Islands so?

Again, I am required to repeat myself here, because some of you really just don't want to hear, and prefer to make assumptions based on your own egoes and prejudices. This approach is merely an attempt to bully others in argument, rather than engage in objective discussion, you realise. But I am all for Japan hosting the World Cup, being on the World Rugby core committee, and competing in the appropriate regional competitions. Nobody was happier than me when the Blossoms stunned the Boks, I can assure you, even though I have a much healthier respect for SA than many others on this forum, by the looks of it (perhaps because I'm old enough to recall when they basically owned the All Blacks.) It's just that I am also a very big fan of Super Rugby; a competition I was actually involved in covering during its early years; and which is very a clearly a Southern Hemisphere championship. Take away the regional identity, and what are you left with? A meaningless circus, and that's precisely what we've seen these past two years, and the poor old Force and Cheetahs are going to have to pay the price for it. & the fact the latter put 90 points on your beloved Sunpoodles not too long ago suggests that it is the Japanese entry, more than any other, which has lowered the standard of the competition. The Lions only managed to win 2 of their 5 encounters with the Kiwi Super Rugby powerhouses, for crying out loud. What on earth are a Japanese club doing playing them?! That notwithstanding, I have myself proposed on more than one occasion a future split between the Atlantic rim teams and the Pacific rim teams, in which Japan could appropriately be included in the latter. But right now they ought to be playing in the Pro 12 or some other Northern Hemishere club competition, if the objective is to toughen them up for 2019 - as the wording of World Rugby's support indicated. Incidentally, I've also suggested they form a Pacific 6 Nations with the Pacific Islands, and I've suggest NZ & Australia get involved in an annual pre-season tournament or exchange of fixtures with Japan and the islands. So there is not much there to suggest a Nipponophobic hatred, now is there?

Post by **morepork** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:22 am

My own ego and prejudices....you are just a bit of a try hard bro.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:27 am

Try hard is a classic Kiwi slur. If someone makes an effort, that is worthy of contempt, because New Zealand is a very self-absorbed society with a massive tall poppy syndrome. Add that to my list of reasons for leaving.

Post by **morepork** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:33 am

I hope the gate didn't hit you in the vagina on the way out.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:36 am

Anyway, the only intention of setting up this poll was to see which way people would vote. Given only two people apart from myself voted (both 'No,' obviously) it's been a bit of a failed experiment, so far.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 8:19 pm

rowan wrote:Of course, it would be a Super Rugby franchise, so they could just call it the Pacific Warriors or something, and include Samoans and Tongans as well.

Seems like WR chairperson Beaumont has similar thoughts . . .

Cape Town - World Rugby chairperson Bill Beaumont supports calls for a professional side to be established in the Pacific Islands in a bid to prevent players from leaving for greener pastures.

“I think we need to find a home for them, certainly,” Beaumont told Fox Sports.

“They are exports that are rugby players.”

Beaumont made these comments on a brief visit to Australia from New Zealand, where he is attending the British and Irish Lions' Test series against the All Blacks.

It is estimated that there are currently 200 Pacific Island players who are plying their trade in Europe, particularly France, and there are also plenty of islanders playing in Australia and New Zealand.

The Wallabies had six Fiji-born players in their squad for during the recent mid-year Tests against Fiji, Scotland and Italy.

“Well they’re being taken away from home, not necessarily all to Europe (but) they go away from home,” added Beaumont.

Fiji's former Sevens coach, Ben Ryan, told the BBC last year that the Pacific Islands had become the “Wild West” and that some agents could easily lure players away on false promises.

“There are dodgy agents and people on the islands cutting deals and taking backhanders,” he said.

“There are some terrible agents, mainly the ones that have been kicked out of Australia and New Zealand.

“They end up trying to get Islanders across, saying how they helped them. It’s the opposite. I’ve had players left high and dry.

“Where there is un-regulation, you’re going to get cowboys out there that don’t care and are just looking to make a quick buck.”

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRug ... m-20170629

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 11:38 pm

So, hypothetically-speaking, of course, whose conference would a Pacific Islands Super Rugby franchise go into? You'd think they'd like to have them playing plenty of games in New Zealand, with the big diaspora fan-base there, but no way could any of NZ's current powerhouses be axed. So do they make it a 6-team conference?

Lizard · Post by **Lizard** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 2:04 am

I would be happy to axe the Jaapies, and run a round robin with 5 NZ teams, 4 Aussies and 1 or 2 island teams. Of course the financials won't work and you would need to spend a couple of decades cleaning up pacific island rugby administration first.

Lizard · Post by **Lizard** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 2:05 am

I would be happy to axe the Jaapies, and run a round robin with 5 NZ teams, 4 Aussies and 1 or 2 island teams. Of course the financials won't work and you would need to spend a couple of decades cleaning up pacific island rugby administration first.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:44 am

Works for me! They just need to establish a set of criteria for inclusion. Top of the list - no political interference in admin, which means your prime minister can not be the president of the rugby association...

Lizard · Post by **Lizard** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:01 am

Yes. Filthy Frank flew in to the Scotland test on a helicopter that I'm pretty sure was burning cash that Fiji Rugby could be better spending elsewhere.

rowan · Post by **rowan** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:18 am

Filthy Frank??

Lizard · Post by **Lizard** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:22 am

Frank Bananarama

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