Rugby: Launch of Japan's new league may be delayed: JRFU executive

May 12, 2020 | News On Japan

May 12, 2020 (Kyodo) - The launch of a new domestic rugby competition in Japan, originally scheduled for fall next year, may be delayed due to the one-year postponement of the Summer Olympics, a Japan Rugby Football Union executive said Monday.

Speaking to reporters online, Mayumi Taniguchi, a member of a group set up to establish the new league, said it "may be difficult" to launch in the early fall of 2021 because the Tokyo Games are slated to take place in that summer.

She indicated the possibility of the opening being pushed back to early 2022.

The league is projected to comprise three divisions including teams from the Japan Rugby Top League and the second-tier Top Challenge League, in addition to a number of other clubs applying to join.

The Japan-based Sunwolves, who will be excluded from Super Rugby starting next year, aim to compete in a league in Australia including other Super Rugby sides, CEO Yuji Watase said Monday.

According to Watase, the Australian league is expected to open as early as July, but the Sunwolves' participation is still being negotiated as the Australian government must approve the team's entry into the country during competition.

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