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BALANCING ACT REQUIRED AS SUNWOLVES ANNOUNCE 2019 SUPER RUGBY SQUAD

28/11/2018

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New Sunwolves head coach Tony Brown this week announced the franchise’s initial squad for the 2019 Super Rugby season, in what will be the team’s fourth season in the competition since their inauguration into the southern hemisphere’s premier club competition in 2016.

Brown, who was assistant coach under Jamie Joseph, will take full control of the Sunwolves first string for the 2019 season. The full squad is expected to be around 50-60 players in total, with those players not in contention for the first team playing for the Sunwolves ‘A’ side, who will compete against other Super Rugby reserve sides. Joseph will manage the ‘A’ side as he aims to combine this with the development of the Brave Blossoms ahead of RWC 2019.

The initial 29-man squad consists of many players who plied their trade for the Japanese franchise last season, with notable additions in the form of Hendrik Tui, who has fought his way back into the Brave Blossoms side in the past month, and once Scotland international Phil Burleigh, who has Super Rugby experience with the Highlanders.

Several players will be added to the squad in the coming weeks, as JSR finalise contracts and agreements with the Top League clubs over release of the players. Coca-Cola and Brave Blossoms duo Timothy Lafaele and William Tupou are both certain to put pen to paper for Sunwolves before the New Year, while Canon players Yu Tamura, Samuele Anise and Yusuke Niwai are also expected to be announced in due course.

A further 2-3 overseas players (not eligible to represent Japan) who could also link up with the squad, including Australia flanker Sean McMahon, who reportedly agreed a one-year deal with the Sunwolves as early as July this year. McMahon, who is already based in Japan with Top League side Suntory Sungoliath, is understood to have turned down offers from Australian franchises to play for the Sunwolves.
 
Dan Pryor and Rene Ranger, who are already playing domestic rugby in the Top League with Munakata Sanix Blues and Hino Red Dolphins respectively, also join the team for the upcoming campaign, while Otago lock will join the Sunwolves in his first taste of Japanese rugby.
​
The 2019 season will be a fine balancing act for Japan Super Rugby (JSR), who have set the ambitious target of a play-off spot for the Sunwolves this season. While the arrivals of additional overseas players with substantial experience in the competition such as McMahon will only aid that cause, the impact that they will have on the Japan national team will be far from beneficial. It is no secret that the Sunwolves are used as a vehicle for development for the Brave Blossoms and they cannot afford to lose any game time together as next year’s Rugby World Cup draws ever closer.
 
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  • Home
  • Top League
    • Fixtures / Results >
      • 2017-18
      • 2018-19
    • Match Reports and Previews
    • Features
    • Team Profiles >
      • Canon Eagles
      • Coca-Cola Red Sparks
      • Honda Heat
      • Kintetsu Liners
      • Kobelco Steelers
      • Kubota Spears
      • Munakata Sanix Blues
      • NEC Green Rockets
      • NTT Communications Shining Arcs
      • Panasonic Wild Knights
      • Ricoh Black Rams
      • Suntory Sungoliath
      • Toshiba Brave Lupus
      • Toyota Industries Shuttles
      • Toyota Verblitz
      • Yamaha Jubilo
    • Format
    • History >
      • Past Seasons >
        • 2015-16
        • 2014-15
  • Brave Blossoms
    • Players >
      • Shinya Makabe
    • Fixtures + Results >
      • 2018
      • 2017
      • 2016
      • 2015
      • 2014
      • 2013
      • 2012
      • 2011
      • 2010
      • 2009
    • Latest news
  • Sunwolves
    • All-time Sunwolves players
    • Fixtures & Results
    • 2018 Squad >
      • Keita Inagaki
      • Asaeli Ai Valu
      • Takuma Asahara
      • Koo Ji-Won
      • Yusuke Niwai
      • Jaba Bregvadze
      • Shota Horie
      • Sam Wykes
      • James Moore
      • Grant Hattingh
      • Kazuki Himeno
      • Wimpie van der Walt
      • Shunsuke Nunomaki
      • Edward Quirk
      • Yoshitaka Tokunaga
      • Lappies Labuschagne
      • Willie Britz
      • Michael Leitch
      • Yutaka Nagare
      • Keisuke Uchida
      • Fumiaki Tanaka
      • Robbie Robinson
      • Yu Tamura
      • Hayden Parker
      • Harumichi Tatekawa
      • Timothy Lafaele
      • Ryoto Nakamura
      • Michael Little
      • Sione Teaupa
      • Hosea Saumaki
      • Lomano Lemeki
      • Semisi Masirewa
      • Kenki Fukuoka
      • Kotaro Matsushima
      • Ryuji Noguchi
    • 2017 Squad >
      • Keita Inagaki
      • Masataka Mikami
      • Kohei Asahori
      • Koki Yamamoto
      • Takuma Asahara
      • Koo Ji-Won
      • Heiichiro Ito
      • Yasuo Yamaji
      • Takeshi Kizu
      • Yusuke Niwai
      • Takeshi Hino
      • Shota Horie
      • Naohiro Kotaki
      • Hitoshi Ono
      • Kyosuke Kajikawa
      • Kazuhiko Usami
      • Liaki Moli
      • Sam Wykes
      • Kotaro Yatabe
      • Shinya Makabe
      • Willie Britz
      • Shunsuke Nunomaki
      • Shokei Kin
      • Edward Quirk
      • Malgene Ilaua
      • Shuhei Matsuhashi
      • Yoshitaka Tokunaga
      • Yuhimaru Mimura
      • Rahboni Warren Vosayaco
      • Fumiaki Tanaka
      • Keisuke Uchida
      • Takahiro Ogawa
      • Yuki Yatomi
      • Kaito Shigeno
      • Hayden Cripps
      • Yu Tamura
      • Hikaru Tamura
      • Jumpei Ogura
      • Harumichi Tatekawa
      • Timothy Lafaele
      • Derek Carpenter
      • Michael Bond
    • Latest news
    • Stadium Guide (Tokyo)
  • Stadium Guide
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    • Hanazono
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