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Singapore Super Rugby moves closer to reality

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s aim of becoming the 18th Super Rugby nation has moved a huge step closer this weekend, with reports indicating that South Africa has flexed its muscle in support of the island nation’s efforts to join rugby’s big time.

The National Stadium will play host to the top-eight professional rugby club sides today and tomorrow. Photo: WEE TECK HIAN

The National Stadium will play host to the top-eight professional rugby club sides today and tomorrow. Photo: WEE TECK HIAN

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s aim of becoming the 18th Super Rugby nation has moved a huge step closer this weekend, with reports indicating that South Africa has flexed its muscle in support of the island nation’s efforts to join rugby’s big time.

The South African Rugby Union has made a heavyweight power play in an attempt to ensure that Japan doesn’t get the nod for the 18th Super Rugby franchise, because of its geographical location. South African teams are opposed to the idea of having to play in the land of the rising sun, as there is no direct flight from South Africa to Japan. That would mean, including transit time, a one-way journey of 23 hours for the five South African teams, or in effect two days’ flying in order to play away games against a Japanese side. In contrast it is an 11-hour flight from South Africa to Singapore, shorter than it takes to fly from Johannesburg to the East coast of Australia.

Editor of Australian rugby website, Ruggermatrix.com, Djuro Sen, told TODAY that if the South Africans flex their muscle, SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) could well give in: “The SANZAR balance of power in South Africa is so strong, that their demands are very often met. If you look at the logistics of this, the flight-time is obviously in favour of Singapore. Add to that the afterglow of the success of the recent Tens tournament (held at the Sports Hub) and what a great opportunity for a possibly emerging rugby nation to get a foothold in the Super Rugby market. You have to remember that South African teams have the greatest travel burden, being the most remote of the SANZAR nations,” Sen said.

Not everyone is enamoured with the idea, Australian-born Japan coach Eddie Jones, told News Limited in Australia. “It is a joke that Singapore is even being considered when Japan ticks all the right boxes. If travel is a deciding factor, then Dubai should be selected.“

The Singapore-based side would carry the Asia Pacific Dragons name, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, with suggestions that All Black legend Tana Umaga could be lined up as the inaugural coach. That in turn could lead to a large presence of Pacific Island players being drafted in, with Tonga and Samoa two obvious sources of talent. Securing Umaga as coach would be a massive PR coup for the team, as the former All Black is one of the legends of the modern game. The move would also represent a great chance for the new Sports Hub to show its wares to the sporting world, as the new national centre would certainly host the travelling teams coming to Singapore to take on the Dragons.

The 18th Super Rugby team would form part of the second South African conference, under the new four-conference system which is set to be launched in 2016. The second conference has been introduced to pacify South Africa, which initially wanted a sixth team in the main competition. If the South Africans get their way, the benefit for sport in Singapore could be enormous.

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