Australia, New Zealand Urge SANZAR To Protect Players From New Asian Side

Australia and New Zealand "are looking to SANZAR to protect their talent from poachers building a new 18th team in the expanded Super Rugby competition," according to Bret Harris of THE AUSTRALIAN. Singapore and Japan "are competing to enter the competition in 2016." Any Asian side "would have significant financial resources to draw upon, which some comparing a potential Singapore franchise to being 'the Toulon of Asia.'" The Australian Rugby Union and New Zealand Rugby Union "have policies which prohibit the selection of overseas-based players for the Wallabies and All Blacks respectively and they do not want their top players heading to the Asia-based team." They "will be looking to SANZAR to design rules that would restrict the 18th team from recruiting leading Australian and New Zealand players" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/8).