Hammett takes charge of Sunwolves
Hammett – who is no stranger to Super Rugby – served an an assistant at the Crusaders (2007-10) and head coach at the Hurricanes (2011-14) before taking up the Director of Rugby role at the Cardiff Blues (2014-15). He also has 81 caps to his name at the Crusaders where he played from 1996-2003 and 29 for the All Blacks throughout a Test career spanning four years.
Hammett inherits a list of 34 players that includes 15 with Test experience and 10 of the Brave Blossoms squad that took the world by storm at the recent World Cup.
Playing in a South African Conference alongside the Bulls, Cheetahs and Stormers, the Sunwolves start with four home games (two in Singapore), providing local fans with every opportunity to embrace the team in its inaugural Super Rugby campaign.
The Sunwolves play each team in their group twice, teams in the other South African Conference (Jaguares, Kings, Lions, Sharks) once, the Australian Conference (Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs) once and will face the New Zealand sides in 2017.
The team will wear a red/orange primary strip that represents the rising sun while the grey alternate signifies the speed and fighting spirit of the wolf that is fiercely emblazoned across both jerseys.
Former Blues lock Liaki Moli and ex-Hurricanes flyhalf Tusi Pisi will line up for the Japanese side, along with Argentina loose forward Tomas Leonardi, South African fullback Riaan Viljoen and Australia Under-20 flank Eddie Quirk.
The Brave Blossoms put Japanese rugby on the map by winning three World Cup pool games, including a stunning 34-32 victory over two-time champions South Africa in their opening game, the biggest upset in the tournament's history.
But Super Rugby organisers have admitted to concerns over how the Sunwolves will fare after they took so long to announce key appointments.
Another former All Black, Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph, is expected to be named as Japan's new head coach later this week following the departure of Eddie Jones, who recently took over the England top job.
Sunwolves 2016 Super Rugby squad: Ryuhei Arita, Timothy Bond, Derek Carpenter, Andrew Durutalo, Ziun Gu, Shohei Hirano, Atsushi Hiwasa, Shota Horie, Yoshiya Hosoda, Keita Inagaki, Daisuke Inoue, Shinnosuke Kakinaga, Takeshi Kizu, Yamamoto Koki, Faatiga Lemalu, Tomas Leonardi, Amanaki Lotoahea, Shinya Makabe, Paea Mifi Poseti, Masataka Mikami, Liaki Moli, Tsuyoshi Murata, Hitoshi Ono, Tusi Pisi, Eddie Quirk, Yusataka Sasakura, John Stewart, Yu Tamura, Harumichi Tatekawa, Riaan Viljoen, Akihito Yamada, Ryohei Yamanaka, Hajime Yamashita, Yuki Yatomi.
