Sunwolves rugby players rescue struggling motorist

The Sunwolves may be resting on the bottom of their Super Rugby conference, but results aren't everything.

The Japanese franchise will win just as many fans with its actions off the field if this latest act is any indication.

The Sunwolves posted a video on their official Facebook page on Tuesday showing players all pitching in to help out a struggling motorist in Auckland. A car was blocking part of a road because it looked to have spun out of control and taken a 90 degree turn.

The players, dressed in training gear, popped onto the road and worked together to help move the car into a less dangerous position. They then tried to lift the car off the bitumen and onto the sidewalk, which proved a slightly more difficult task.

Even a bunch of burly forwards couldn't muster the strength needed to lift a vehicle that probably weighed over 1000kg.

The players managed to get the back part of the car off the road and onto the pavement, but the front half proved more difficult to budge.

They didn't give up though. The video shows the team continuing to try and lift the four-wheeler for the grateful driver.

The Sunwolves have one win from six attempts this season and are last on one of the African Super Rugby conferences behind the Bulls, Cheetahs and Stormers. They play the Crusaders in Christchurch on Good Friday.

But they will switch to the Australian conference next season, a move welcomed by the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) who says the club will benefit from shorter flights and less disruptive changes in time zones.

"We will continue competing in one of the toughest competitions in the world of rugby," said JRFU chairman Noriyuki Sakamoto. "However, we will do so in a slightly better environment regarding the time difference and the long distance travel."

The JRFU has said the 2017-18 Top League season will end earlier to give the Sunwolves more time to prepare.

SANZAAR has said three teams, one from Australia and two from South Africa, will be axed from Super Rugby as the competition reverts to 15 teams in 2018 due to falling revenues and fan interest.

Aussie sides Western Force or Melbourne Rebels will be cut next season.

South African Rugby has begun "internal consultations" over which teams it will cut. The Port Elizabeth-based Kings and Bloemfontein side the Cheetahs are most vulnerable.

- with AAP