ARU Super move for Japan showcase

[travelling_gerry]

Bret Harris | July 01, 2009

Article from: The Australian

THE future of offshore Bledisloe Cup matches in Tokyo is uncertain, but Super rugby games are set to be showcased in Japan.

And a Japanese advertising agency has expressed interest in entering a team in an expanded Super series.

The ARU confirmed yesterday that the Wallabies would play New Zealand in Tokyo on October 31.

This follows the All Blacks' historic win against Australia in Hong Kong last year.
The ARU will wait to see the response to the Bledisloe Test in Tokyo before deciding whether to take the Wallabies to Japan again.

"We'll see how this goes," ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll said in Tokyo yesterday.

"It's important to see how it pans out. It's the beginning of matches in Tokyo.
"It doesn't have to be a Test. We are looking at Super teams playing there.
"US baseball and basketball teams often play there. The Japanese are not unlike Australians, they like to see the best.

"A competition game would be difficult, but we could take a pre-season or post-season game.

"It might be difficult next year, but in the expanded competition (Super 15) it would be possible."

The main reason Australia and New Zealand created the offshore Bledisloe concept was to raise revenue.

Even though the deal took a long time to finalise, Carroll said the ARU was happy with the financial arrangement, but it is unsure whether the Tokyo Test will be as lucrative for Australia and New Zealand as the Hong Kong venture.

"It's different to Hong Kong," he said. "We were the organisers and the underwriters.

"Here, both teams have been invited. Dentsu (a Japanese advertising agency) and the Japanese Rugby Union are the hosts and organisers. It's a good commercial opportunity for us. There are commercial aspects to taking our brand to the world's second-biggest economy."

Carroll admitted it would be difficult to organise an offshore Bledisloe in the next two years.

"A fourth Bledisloe next year is getting difficult," Carroll said. "We have an extensive match program. We have England and Ireland, the Tri-Nations and the spring tour. It's a busy year and we are heading into 2011 (World Cup)."

Carroll said the idea of playing a Bledisloe Cup Test in the US was still "floating around".

"It's heavily dependent on Denver, which came up with the idea," he said. "There's no confirmation from them that that will become a reality."

While Japan's national coach, John Kirwan, recently poured cold water on the idea of a Japanese team playing in Super rugby, Carroll said Dentsu was interested in putting a team into the southern hemisphere competition.

"The Japanese Rugby Union has a focus on the World Cup bid, which is understandable," Carroll said. "We've had preliminary discussions and there is a degree of interest.

"To develop the competitiveness of the Japanese team, their players need to play at a higher level."

Carroll said playing a Bledisloe match in Tokyo was part of the ARU's push into Asia.
"One of the reasons for Tokyo is that we want Japanese rugby to advance," he said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html

[AndyS]

"And a Japanese advertising agency has expressed interest in entering a team in an expanded Super series"

For mine, this is the interesting line. If anyone can remember so far back, this is similar to what happened in the Aussie Rules. The WAFC was very reluctant, with all the standard concerns - it'll destroy footy in WA, it'll kill the WAFL, etc, etc. So it was all stalled, until Subiaco up and said "OK then, we're financial, we'll join stand-alone". At that point the WAFC had two choices - it was going to happen regardless, so get involved or get steamrolled.

So I wonder how the various Japanese companies would view the possibility of Super Rugby coming to town, with them not involved...?