The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) on Saturday appointed Shigetaka Mori as the president of the sport’s national governing body with less than three months to go until the country hosts the Rugby World Cup. Former Japan captain Mori, 67, was elected as a successor to Tadashi Okamura at the union’s executive board and council meetings in Tokyo. Japanese Rugby also suffered a blow when Tokyo-based Sunwolves were axed from Super Rugby after the next season as the JRFU could no longer “financially underwrite” the team’s participation. As part of an administrative overhaul, the JRFU also confirmed men’s sevens coach Kensuke Iwabuchi as its new chairman. “We have to work hard with the belief that what we do in the next year or two will decide the next 50 years of Japanese rugby,” Iwabuchi said.

Source: National Post June 29, 2019 10:52 UTC