Sunwolves
 | |||
| Union | Japan Rugby Football Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 (2015) | ||
| Location | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Ground(s) | Chichibunomiya Stadium, Tokyo Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore | ||
| Chairman | Yuichi Ueno | ||
| CEO | Yuji Watase | ||
| Director of Rugby | Jamie Joseph | ||
| Coach(es) | Tony Brown | ||
| Captain(s) | Michael Little and Craig Millar | ||
| Most caps | Takuma Asahara (25) | ||
| Top scorer | Hayden Parker (136) | ||
| Most tries | Akihito Yamada (9) | ||
| League(s) | Super Rugby | ||
| 2018 | 5th (Australian Conference) 15th (overall) | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| sunwolves.or.jp/en/ | |||
| Union website | |||
| jrfu.org | |||
 Current season | |||
The Sunwolves (Japanese: サンウルブズ) – currently known as the HITO-Communications Sunwolves for sponsorship reasons – is a professional rugby union team and is Japan's representative team in SANZAAR's international Super Rugby competition. The team is based in Tokyo, Japan, but also plays some home matches in Singapore. They made their debut in Super Rugby in 2016.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Inclusion in Super Rugby
1.2 Name
1.3 Season summaries
1.4 Kit history
2 Stadium
3 Staff
3.1 Current squad
3.2 Coaching staff
3.3 Previous head coaches
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
History
Inclusion in Super Rugby
Since its launch in 1996, the SANZAR-organised Super Rugby competition (previously known as Super 12 and Super 14) was limited to teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In 2011, it was announced that SANZAR would expand its international Tri Nations competition to include Argentina, which resulted in that competition being rebranded as The Rugby Championship.[1] This led to rumours that Argentina would also seek to have teams included in the Super Rugby competition[2][3] and SANZAR confirmed that they would explore expansion to other regions in future. However, since SANZAR sold the existing Super Rugby package to its broadcasters for the period 2011–15, it meant that no changes to the format would be permitted until the 2016 season.[4]
In 2013, SANZAR CEO Greg Peters announced that Super Rugby would be expanded from the 2016 season onwards, adding that South African franchise the Southern Kings would be one of the expansion teams.[5] In early 2014, SANZAR confirmed that Super Rugby would be increased from 15 to 18 teams starting from the 2016 season, with Argentine side Jaguares getting one of the additional spots. It was confirmed that both Argentina and the 18th team would participate in the South African Conference.[6]
Asia emerged as the preferred destination for the final licence and Japan and Singapore emerged as the main contenders to get the franchise.[7] With a number of factors counting in Japan's favour – such as their domestic professional league (the Top League) increasingly being able to attract big-name foreign players, the country being awarded the hosting of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the Japanese national team breaking into the top ten of the World Rugby rankings for the first time in their history in 2014[8] – they were subsequently granted the licence for the 18th franchise in October 2014[9] – with an agreement reached that Singapore would host three of their home matches each season at the Singapore Sports Hub.[10] The new expanded format and three new teams were formally approved by the SANZAR Executive Committee in November 2014.[11]
In April 2015, the JRFU established a corporation called Japan Super Rugby Association that would manage the operations of the team. A number of key appointments were also made; Yoshitaka Tashiro was appointed as chairman, Yuichi Ueno as the CEO and on the playing side, the Japan national team's head coach Eddie Jones was appointed as the Director of Rugby for the team.[12] In May 2015, a website was launched to ask fans for team name suggestions.
However, several doubts were raised against Japan's ability to set up the team on time. In August 2015, Eddie Jones announced that he would leave his role as Director of Rugby amid speculation linking him to the vacant Stormers head coach position.[13] Subsequent media reports stated that governing body SANZAR were exploring alternative plans for the 2016 Super Rugby competition which excluded the Japanese team,[14] but the JRFU commented shortly after, confirming that they have met SANZAR's requirements by contracting players and other personnel by their end-of-August deadline.[15][16] The validity of the player list submitted were questioned, with many players included not "generally associated with the national team". There were also suggestions that Top League teams requested that their players' appearances be limited in Super Rugby and that Top League matches would be prioritised.[17]
However, they were included in the Super Rugby fixture list that came out on 28 September 2015[18][19] and on 5 October 2015, it was announced that the team would be known as the Sunwolves.[20]
Name
The black version of the Sunwolves logo following their sponsorship deal with HITO-Communications.
In May 2015, a website was launched to ask fans for team name suggestions. This was initially scheduled to be revealed at the end of July 2015, before being postponed to August.[21] On 5 October 2015, it was announced that the team would be known as the Sunwolves.[20] This name was chosen from 3,320 entries[22] and is a combination of the "Land of the Rising Sun" and the wolf, which was chosen to represent bravery, strength and an ethos of teamwork. The team's logo was also launched on the same date.
On 15 January 2016, the Sunwolves announced that they would be known as the HITO-Communications Sunwolves following a sponsorship agreement.[23]
Season summaries
The following table summarises the Sunwolves' results in their Super Rugby seasons:
| Sunwolves Super Rugby seasons | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | PF | PA | Pos | Ch | RU | SF | QF | Coach | Captain |
| 2016 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 293 | 627 | 18 of 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mark Hammett | Shota Horie |
| 2017 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 315 | 671 | 17 of 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Filo Tiatia | Ed Quirk |
| 2018 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 404 | 664 | 15 of 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jamie Joseph Tony Brown | Willie Britz Yutaka Nagare |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 153 | - | - | - | - | - | Tony Brown | Michael Little & Craig Millar |
Legend: PF = Points for, PA = Points against, Pos = Log position, Ch = Champions, RU = Runners-up, SF = Semifinal appearance, QF = Quarterfinal appearance.
Kit history
The Sunwolves have played in the following kits since their inception:
| Sunwolves kits | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Home | Away |
2016 |         2016 home kit |    2016 away kit |
2017 |     2017 home kit |     2017 away kit |
Stadium
The Sunwolves split their eight home matches between Japan and Singapore during the 2016 Super Rugby season. Five home games were played at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo and three home games were at Singapore National Stadium.
Tokyo, Japan | Kallang, Singapore |
|---|---|
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium | Singapore National Stadium |
| Capacity: 27,188 | Capacity: 55,000 |
 |  |
Staff
Current squad
The squad for the 2019 Super Rugby season:[24][a][b][c][d][e][f][g]
| Sunwolves Super Rugby squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props
Hookers
Locks
| Flankers
Number Eights
Scrum-halves
Stand-offs (fly-halves)
| Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
|
(c) denotes team captain and Bold denotes internationally capped, ST denotes a short-term signing.
|
Coaching staff
The following coaching team was appointed for the 2019 Super Rugby season:[29][30]
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Jamie Joseph | Director of Rugby |
| Tony Brown | Head coach |
| Cory Brown | Assistant coach (attack) |
| Scott Hansen | Assistant coach (defense) |
| Marty Veale | Assistant coach (scrum) |
| Naoya Okubo | Assistant coach (forwards) |
Previous head coaches
| Coach | Period | G | W | D | L | % | Honours | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mark Hammett | 2016 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 006.67 | [31][32][33] | |
| Filo Tiatia | 2017 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 013.33 | [34][35][36] | |
| Jamie Joseph | 2018 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 018.75 | [37][38][39] |
See also
- Rugby union in Japan
- Top League
- Super Rugby
- Ganbatte Trophy
References
^ ""The Rugby Championship" to replace Tri Nations". rugby.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2011..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Super Rugby may accept Argentinian teams in 2016". Guardian. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Pichot: Argentina in Super Rugby is a no brainer". SuperXV. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Super Rugby going global". Sydney Daily Telegraph. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "SANZAR boss Greg Peters confirms South Africa will get a sixth Super Rugby franchise from 2016". Herald Sun. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
^ "Search begins for 18th Super Rugby team" (Press release). SANZAR. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Singapore and Japan still in a race for 18th team". SuperXV. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Brave Blossoms break into the top ten". Asian Rugby Football Union. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Super Rugby: Japan chosen to host new franchise from 2016". BBC. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Japan's entry into Super Rugby is 'dream come true'". JRFU. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Japan and Argentina officially join Super Rugby" (Press release). SANZAR. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^ "Eddie Jones lands Super Rugby role". SANZAR. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^ "Japan rugby coach Jones confirms departure after World Cup". Japan Today. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
^ "Super Rugby set to cut Japanese club from 2016 competition after concerns it won't field side". The Daily telegraph. Fox Sports. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
^ "Japan working to get Super Rugby tasks completed, JRFU executive says". Japan Times. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
^ "Formation of Super Rugby team complete". The Yomiuri Shimbun. The Japan News. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
^ "Japan's Super Rugby participation remains uncertain". Kyodo. The Japan Times. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
^ "Draw released for new era of Super Rugby" (Press release). SANZAR. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
^ "2016 Draw". SANZAR. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
^ ab "Super Rugby welcomes the Sunwolves". SANZAR. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
^ "Name-the-team Contest (Super Rugby from the 2016 Season)". JRFU. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
^ "Japan eyes World Cup heroes for Super Rugby's Sunwolves". The Japan Times. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
^ "Super Rugby Japanese Team SUNWOLVES Team Name & Logo Announcement "HITO-Communications SUNWOLVES"" (Press release). Sunwolves. 15 January 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
^ "2019Squad". Sunwolves. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
^ @ntv_rugby (14 February 2019). "【📡BS日テレで開幕戦生中継❗】16日（土）よる7時54分～🐺サンウルブズがい いよ🏉スーパーラグビー今季開幕戦🦈シャークス戦を迎えます！サンウルブズはご覧のメンバー。🇯🇵日本代表候補選手も多数出場予定です！BS日テレで🇸🇬シンガポールから生中継します！#rugbyjp #sunwolves #日テレラグビー" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via Twitter.
^ "Match Centre - Sanzar Blues vs. Sunwolves". SANZAR. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
^ "Hito-Communications Sunwolves Starting Line up for Round 5 vs Reds". Sunwolves (Press release). 14 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
^ abcd "Starting Line up for Round 6 vs Lions". Sunwolves (Press release). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
^ "Tony Brown Appointed as Head Coach of HITO-Communications SUNWOLVES" (Press release). Sunwolves. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ "2019 Season Assistant Coach Announcement" (Press release). Sunwolves. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
^ "Mark Hammett named coach of Japan's Super Rugby Sunwolves". The Guardian. December 21, 2015.
^ "Japan reveals Sunwolves roster; Hammett named as coach". The Japan Times. December 21, 2015.
^ "Mark Hammett named coach of Japan's Super 15 team". Sky Sports. December 21, 2015.
^ "Rugby: Former All Black named as Sunwolves head coach". The New Zealand Herald. September 13, 2016.
^ "Filo Tiatia replaces Mark Hammett as Sunwolves head coach". Sky Sports. September 14, 2016.
^ "Tiatia named new Sunwolves coach". SBS. September 14, 2016.
^ "Joseph replaces Tiatia as head coach of Sunwolves". The Japan Times. September 29, 2017.
^ "Rugby: Joseph takes over from Tiatia as head coach of Sunwolves". Kyodo News. September 29, 2017.
^ "Japan coach Jamie Joseph will also lead the Sunwolves in Super Rugby". Fox Sports Australia. September 29, 2017.
External links
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Official website
- JRFU website
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