Sunwolves face 'coaching challenge'
New SANZAR Chief Executive Andy Marinos told a media briefing that the Sunwolves' biggest challenge had been finding a head coach.
Former Japan coach Eddie Jones had been lined up for the role, but walked away before the World Cup.
Marinos said that despite the "challenge", he expects that the coaching appointment to be made in the next week or two.
"There's a number of players that are obviously waiting to understand who that coach is before they commit," he said, when asked about suggestion that the Japanese team was also having problems recruiting players.
However, Marinos said the Sunwolves had already contracted a "core group" group of 24-25 Japanese players that were involved in the World Cup."
However, with just three months before the Super Rugby season is due to kick off, Marinos admitted uncertainty remained over how both the Sunwolves and the South Africa's embattled Southern Kings would fare.
The Southern Kings are re-entering the competition, but have suffered high-profile financial difficulties, forcing the South African Rugby Union to step in and take control of the franchise.
"It is not dissimilar to what we have previously seen with the Rebels coming in, then the Kings came in and the Lions returned," Marinos said, adding: "There was also the Western Force.
"What we have seen in the 20-year lifespan of the competition, since 1996, every year there is a surprise team coming through and what we would consider really good teams don't hit the highs you expect.
"Overall the standard has been of an acceptable level."
The new SANZAR boss said doesn't foresee any challenges coming out off the Argentinean franchise.
"Everybody is saying if it is the same group of [Argentinean] players coming out of the World Cup it is going to be a very difficult and tough match you will be playing."
"With the Kings and Japan it's a hell of a lot of the unknown," Marinos, who was appointed this week, told journalists on a teleconference.
"How are they going to adapt to the travel, to the schedule?
"But saying that, I've learned one thing in rugby – you can never start writing off teams before the competition actually properly gets underway."
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