Townsville stadium may host Sunwolves

JAPAN’S Sunwolves may bid sayonara from Super Rugby with a match against the Reds at the new North Queensland Stadium in Townsville next year.

Preliminary discussions are under way because rugby union is eager to be part of the party when the state-of-the-art venue stages its first games next season.

Staging the first Super Rugby match in Townsville since a one-off visit in 2006 is the ideal and direct Tokyo-Townsville flights make the Sunwolves a good fit.

SANZAAR confirmed yesterday the Sunwolves would be cut from Super Rugby in 2021, which sets up a death-row season next year.

The unpopular conference system is getting the boot with Super Rugby reverting to a 14team, round-robin format that last existed in 2010.

Rugby has also kicked off a fundraising drive, tagged Rugby Aid Townsville, to support the game and rugby communities in flood-devastated regions of North Queensland.

The national fundraising effort will focus on getting more than a dozen clubs back on their feet.

RA, the Queensland Rugby Union, the Australian Rugby Foundation and Classic Wallabies have joined forces to help assist clubs and communities facing bills for facilities and equipment damage.

The ARF has announced a $10,000 donation while the QRU will run a collection at tomorrow’s Reds-brumbies clash at Suncorp Stadium.

The Classic Wallabies, under former Test lock Justin Harrison, will head to Townsville and the surrounding areas in late July to run junior clinics.