Super Rugby a World Cup boost for Japan

Japan dream of parlaying their entry into an expanded Super Rugby competition into a first-time World Cup quarter-final showing when they host the global showpiece in 2019.

The formal inclusion of franchises from Tokyo and Buenos Aires in a remodelled 18-team competition from 2016 had been mooted for some time, but only rubber-stamped by SANZAR late on Thursday night.

Both the Japanese and Argentine outfits will play in the South African Group and be positioned in opposing conferences of four teams.

The five-team Australian and New Zealand conferences will remain the same, but there will be a reduction in the number of local derbies for both trans-Tasman powers from eight to six in the 17-round competition.

While less derbies may upset some in Australia and New Zealand, Japan are the big winners after getting the nod over a Singapore bid to enter the southern hemisphere provincial championship.

Yet to progress beyond the pool stages in seven Rugby World Cup appearances, the Cherry Blossoms now have an ideal platform from which to build a more competitive national outfit come the 2019 edition.

Japan’s Top League features 95 world-class foreigners, including former Wallabies Nick Cummins, Berrick Barnes and Radiko Samo, but it is understood that Tokyo’s Super Rugby franchise will be comprised predominantly of stars from the Cherry Blossoms.

It is hoped the exposure to many of the game’s best players in the mostly fiercely contested provincial competition on a weekly basis will ready the Japanese national team for a real crack at making the last eight for the first time at a World Cup.

“Joining the world’s highest international league is a challenge that will require significant transformation and tremendous efforts by us,” chairman of the JRFU, Tatsuzo Yabe said.

“However, it will certainly bring innovation to not only Japan, but also the Asian region as a whole.”

The JRFU has also forged a relationship with the Singapore Rugby Union and Singapore Sports Hub that will see the venue host three games per year.

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