Singapore Sports Hub – National Stadium
Singapore has emerged as the leading candidate to host the 18th Super Rugby team when the tournament expands in 2016.
SANZAR confirmed last week that the two leading locations for the 18th team that will play in the South African group are Singapore and Japan.
According to reports South Africa have flexed their muscle and pushed Singapore into the lead as the location is far more accesible than Japan.
South African teams will have to travel to Singapore or Japan to play some of their matches and currently there are no direct flights from South Africa to Japan.
rugbyweek
That means that the journey from SA to Japan can take 23 hours compared to the 11 hour flight to Singapore. The Singapore time zone is more in line with South Africa compared to Japan.
Reports suggest that the Singapore team could be known as the Asia Pacific Dragons and former All Black Tana Umaga has already been mentioned as a possible coach of the that is expected to feature a heavy flavour of Pacific Island players.
Meanwhile former Brumbies and Reds coach Eddie Jones who is now the Japanese national coach says that SANZAR will “lose all credibility” if they award the team to Singapore.
Jones said in his weekly column for News Limited that it was, “a joke that Singapore is even being considered as the base for the 18th Super Rugby team when Japan ticks all the right boxes for forward thinking.”
The former Wallabies coach said ,”If travel is the deciding factor then Dubai should be selected and rugby ethos and history ignored altogether.”
“Enough of that nonsense. Rugby has had a footprint in Japan since 1899 … and there are more than 100,000 players and 3500 clubs in the country. ”
“Japan has become the first Asian nation to reach 10th in the world and the Rugby World Cup is heading here in 2019.”
Jones said that he was “not being biased as Japan’s coach but any smart organisation should see the value of promoting Japan as an expansion team in Super 18.”
“Through their TV rights clout, South Africa are pushing the Singapore bid where rugby is linked to the gin-and-tonic set at the Singapore Cricket Club and no players.”
“They would play in a grand new stadium but every player in a Singapore-based team would be an import.”
“Consider this. Japan recently beat Sri Lanka 132-10 and Singapore are ranked 10 spots lower than them at No. 58 in the world,” said Jones.
I would tend to agree with Jones’ sentiment, but where SANZAR and logic is conerned, well, anything is possible.
When all logic goes out of the window, FOLLOW YHE MONEY TRAIL, and you’ll find the rea$ons behind a decision.
japan is verder maar n groter mark, maar europa is steeds die beste opsie, stuur super rugby moar toe en speel heineken cup
Interesting that Singapore is a place with not much internal domestic product for the Global Market… but they have become a major force in the Commodity Markets, moving the world’s stuff through their ports and with their vast Maritime Fleets. This makes them rich and a major player in the world.
Same with Japan.. a country which had to pick itself up by the scruff of the neck after World War II, and a major mover and shaker in the industrial world!
Imagine South Africa, at the Southern tip of Africa, could have had the foresight to become major world Commodity Movers… imagine the magnitude of our income into South Africa! Yet there are only something like 13 Maritime Vessels registered to South Africa in the whole of the international world… it is a scandal and an indictment to us!
The money either Japan or Singapore could throw at Super Rugby is astounding… and either one could become a force in Super Rugby very quickly!
grootblousmile wrote:
One only has to look at the average productivity of South Africans across the board compared to Singaporeans and Japanese to see the reasons why it is how it is.
4 @ Scrumdown:
Yip!
Yet you can’t fault your and my personal productivity, hey!
Hehehe
As for the rest… pfffrrttttt
5 @ grootblousmile:
I personally start my day at 04h45 and rarely knock off before 20h00 monday to Thursday.
Friday I finish as soon as the okes come out of Mosque (14h00).
Saturday I normally work until about 14h00, and Sundays I normally work from about 15h00 until 21h00 after smashing a few golf balls into the nearest body of water.
So in a nutshell, I think my productivity isn’t too bad. However I’m feeling varking burnt out lately and hate winter with a passion at the moment.
Having said that I think you’re just as busy as I am, just that for large tracts of your time you’re not compensated. (RT?)
If SA’s criminal population spent as much time and brain power on upping the country’s net worth, as they do on illegal activities, the sky would be the limit sor SA and probably the same applies to the whole of Africa.
6 @ Scrumdown:
No compensation on R-T yet… I say YET!
There’s one Advert being made up by the graphic designers at present, 3 more in the pipeline..
Handbriekie and their team is just at Cipro (Trademark Offices) at present, busy with some Trademark Searches & Registrations…
Things will get there, eventually.
@ Scrumdown:
That is actually sad.
My working day starts at 7:30 am and ends at 3:30pm and I don’t work over weekend’s.
I do not work on public holidays either.
I am hectically busy at work but clients know the deal.
I work very hard walking up to 23km on some days but my time is my time.
Having a balance is important.
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