Nations Championship?
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@Stargazer quoted in World League Rugby / Nations Championship:
The current format of the Six Nations Championship will be ring-fenced, ending any hope South Africa held of joining the European competition or for the introduction of promotion and relegation.
Northern hemisphere sides will play three southern opponents away from home in the July window, bringing to an end the traditional summer tours of two or three Tests against one host country.
So their competition gets ring fenced and we lose inbound tours for a biennial tier one RWC. What enormous fuckwad agreed to this?
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as i said above, i dont think it will happens
but, i'm not worried about moving around our season, if im honest ive always found it a bit disjointed, SR...then internationals...then some do NPC and others do more internationals. i mainly dont like even more focus on internationals and excluding developing nations from even the small chance of earning the right to step up by ring fencing...this whole thing seems to be making the game smaller...not bigger
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World league moves closer as rugby holds summit on new tournament
Exclusive: Stakeholders could extend autumn Test window next week as part of move towards new international league
World Rugby hopes to secure agreement to extend the window for Test matches to be played each autumn during key meetings in London next week which could provide the “breakthrough moment” for a new world league competition.
Telegraph Sport revealed in March that a blueprint for a new tournament starting in 2026 - including a northern versus southern hemisphere ‘grand final’ every two years, as well as the ring fencing of the Six Nations Championship - had been agreed
A final consultation phase, including surveys with the players and leagues has since been conducted, and all major stakeholders from the northern and southern hemispheres, will assemble at the Royal Garden hotel in Kensington for a four-day summit next week to discuss the conclusions.
Two days have also been set aside for negotiations to secure agreement to changes to World Rugby’s Regulation 9, which guarantees the release of players for international matches, from three to four weekends in November.
This is required to accommodate the ‘grand final’ and possibly also a promotion and relegation match from 2030 to provide a pathway from a second-tier competition which is expected to be launched next year for nations including Georgia, Samoa and Tonga.
‘Willing parties from all corners’
Portas Consulting, a global management consultancy business based in London, has been leading the review over Reg 9 and there is growing expectation that a deal can be struck.
“The stage is set here for closing this thing out,” said one source close to the talks. “You have got willing parties from all corners – the Six Nations group, the Premiership and it sounds like Sanzaar (the main southern hemisphere unions) are getting their act together as well.”
Sources close to the negotiations say agreement on a fourth weekend for Test rugby will be critical to securing the new global season framework, which could also see the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship switch from the traditional summer slot to coincide with the Six Nations in February and March.
It is understood that World Rugby want to hold a summit similar to the one staged in San Francisco in January 2017, that led to the last global season agreement, during the Rugby World Cup in France in September and October with the expectation of unveiling the new ‘Nations Cup’ during the tournament.
“The format is agreed, the last detail to get over the line is the revenue share and the complexities over the fourth weekend in the autumn,” said another source.
“The French Top 14 league is taking the hardest line on this, but if we can get agreement on Reg 9, it will be the breakthrough moment.”
To secure buy-in from the clubs, particularly in France (the England clubs already have an agreement with the Rugby Football Union to play four Tests each autumn), it is likely that changes to Reg 9 will also include financial compensation to recognise their financial risk and investment in developing the players.
“I will be going into that room saying ‘let’s crack on with this’” said one source. “Let’s constructively sort out how the player release mechanism will work.”
Players’ concern over Six Nations fatigue
One sticking point, however, could be if the clubs push for the Six Nations to be reduced from seven to six weeks to accommodate the extra weekend for Test rugby in November although it is not thought to be currently on the table for discussion.
It is understood some players have expressed concern about the physical demands of playing the championship with just one weekend off, while there is also opposition within some unions.
Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach, told Telegraph Sport that it would be difficult for the Celtic Nations and Italy to cope, given their smaller playing bases and could affect the quality of rugby on show for supporters.
“It might be okay for France and England, but I am not sure if the rest of us will be able to cope with the attritional demands of reducing the Six Nations from seven to six weeks,” Gatland said.
“And if they shave a week off now, the next target will be to reduce it to five weeks. Player welfare has to come into it. It was tough enough for us this season to finish with two games in a row. Fans also want to see teams playing at full strength, not impacted by injuries.”
Other sources have suggested that the Six Nations may not have to be reduced if the final weekend in November only involves the final and promotion and relegation match, rather than all countries involved in play-off matches to determine final standings.
The proposed new league structure, which will only include games that take place in the summer and autumn windows, is to be formed by two groups of six teams from each hemisphere – namely the Six Nations and Rugby Championship sides, with Japan and Fiji also expected to be included.
Northern hemisphere sides will play three southern opponents away from home in the July window, bringing to an end the traditional summer tours of two or three Tests against one host country.
The fixtures will be replicated at the home venues of the northern hemisphere nations in the November window, with the tournament to be held every two years from 2026, with fixtures rotated so that every side plays against each other over a two-tournament cycle.
The stakeholders are confident there will be a significant uplift in the broadcasting and commercial values for both hemispheres.
World league moves closer as rugby holds summit on new tournament
Exclusive: Stakeholders could extend autumn Test window next week as part of move towards new international league
I wonder whether there really is as much agreement as the Telegraph thinks there is. Some things, like that the Rugby Championship might move so it can be played at the same time as the Six Nations, have already been denied by SANZAAR. I guess we'll have to wait and see what comes out of that meeting ...
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Conrad Smith questions whether player welfare is the real ‘priority’
Head of player welfare and high performance at the International Rugby Players, Conrad Smith, questioned where the priority of the game lies.
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Six Nations, SANZAAR statement: New tournaments to launch in 2026
The Six Nations and SANZAAR have issued a joint statement explaining their ambitious plans to launch a new tournament in 2026 in the existing July and November international rugby windows.
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"Six Nations and SANZAAR will own and operate the elite competition, with World Rugby creating a newly formed second-tier competition to facilitate promotion and relegation matches."
Liking this - great way to develop the game, give the likes of Georgia a leg-up and incentive countries like Italy (wonder if they'd have been in the doldrums so long if there was a risk of relegation)
"All of the Six Nations and SANZAAR teams will compete and will be joined by two invitational unions."
12 Teams? Could be unwieldly depending on the format.
“Owned and operated by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, the elite competition will take place in alternating years, outside of the British and Irish Lions Tours and Rugby World Cup."
Generally like. Gives it a little bit of a rarity value rather than having it every year.
Overall, think it's a really good idea if it's done right, but need to see what the impact is on the TRC, 6N's and EOYT's
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From the SANZAAR media release, which includes this:
- World Rugby will create a newly formed second-tier competition, to facilitate promotion and relegation from 2030
About the promotion and relegation: will this include the Six Nations? They've always been against it, but it would be quite ridiculous if there was only promotion/relegation in the SH competition/Rugby Championship.
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@Stargazer said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
About the promotion and relegation: will this include the Six Nations? They've always been against it,
This is a separate competition from TRC/Six Nations isn't it? As in, in addition to?
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@Stargazer said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
About the promotion and relegation: will this include the Six Nations? They've always been against it, but it would be quite ridiculous if there was only promotion/relegation in the SH competition/Rugby Championship.
Maybe the promotion/relegation only applies to the ‘two invitational unions’?
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@KiwiMurph The way I understand it is that the Six Nations and Rugby Championship (+2) are played in their usual time frame and that the new competition consists of the cross-over games between both competitions and takes place during the July and November window, followed by a Final.
I assume something similar will happen in the second tier.
The only way I can see promotion/relegation between both tiers, is that the country that wins promotion, enters the competition of their own hemisphere, unless they replace a Six Nations/RC nation only for the cross-over part of this new competition. But in that case they'd have to play promotion/relegation games before the new competition starts, not after.
If it's the former, for example, if Georgia wins a promotion/relegation match, it would be impractical if they knock Argentina out of tier 1 and replace Argentina in the Rugby Championship. Same with, for example, Samoa. If they earn promotion, it's hard to imagine that they replace Italy in the Six Nations.
It will be interesting how it works out. I'd expect two promotion/relegation games: one between the European nations and one between TRC nations.
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@Duluth said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
Maybe the promotion/relegation only applies to the ‘two invitational unions’?
i hope not but poss. why there are two teams outside of TRC and the 6N's. Be a bit daft to have say, Japan and Georgia, above Italy in the final table but Italy stays as they are in the 6N's.
As @Machpants seemed to say, they have time to sort out the Promotion Relegation bit and get it right.
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That sounds really convoluted, doesn't it. Be better if they keep it simple and separate from TRC & 6N's
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"Six Nations and SANZAAR will own and operate the elite competition, with World Rugby creating a newly formed second-tier competition to facilitate promotion and relegation matches."
This is the problem.. separate professional organisations trying to be included in a global sport.
So there's two distinct companies - "owning" certain competitions - and then trying to shoehorn that into a global sporting structure.
From my 10 seconds of learning about, thinking about, and writing about - this proposal - it seems a reasonable starting point.
The 2 "invitational unions" being the obvious "buffer" between the TRC+6N and 2nd-Tier.
Yes... it's going to get a little embarrassing when Japan, Georgia, Samoa and Fiji - are all consistently better than Italy... with one or two of them stuck in 2nd-Tier while Italy is forever preserved in "Tier 1".
But ... you have to be realistic about these things... and it seems a reasonable starting point.
Also... what's the likelihood of there being more than two of Japan,Georgia,Samoa,Fiji - ALL being ahead of Italy on rankings at any time soon?Edit: - re-reading the posts previous to mine... it seems there was a bit of wonder-ment whether the promotion/relegation would apply to 6N & TRC or not. My reading of that very simple quote was a very simple: NO. 6N and TRC are ring-fenced "companies". Everything else is working around that. For better or worse.
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Will it diminish the RWC?
I would have preferred this every 4 years. Ideally 2 years after the RWC with the lions tour shifting years
With a big club championship including Japan, SR teams, UK Ireland france etc every 4 years as well. say 50 teams in 10 pools. 16 team knockout
Maybe it's wanting too much though
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Lions isn’t moving anywhere
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The reaction to SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby's plans for a new international rugby tournament has been widely criticised by fans and media.
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Too much of the sane old, same old. No real incentive or opportunity for the Tier 2 countries save possibly Japan an Fiji/other PI.
Cash cow. Nothing more.
Embarrassing.
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Well I quite happy with idea of it. It pretty obvious from reading the press release RC will supply the 2 invitation teams, so Japan and Fiji probably. until 2030. The best thing is teams that travel in the July wondow etc will be coming with close to full strength teams etc.
I will add those that are aginst mandatory rest weeks for test players maybe disappointed, as teams will have to hit ground running early . Also see the likes of Tonga, Samoa becoming pretty poulay as warm up games for SH teams, so a bonus there for those countries?
And to those that say cash cow etc, probably, but would they prefer that rugby didn't try and get more money to develop game?
And reading the article posted above why would Georgia not play a top tier nation maore tha once every 4 years, surely they will be very poular warm up games for 6N teams as they are now, and after 2030 hopefully they maybe good enough to earn promotion. If WR get tier 2 comp going as proposed isn't that good? Georgia,US,Canade,Tonga, Samoa with comps that have reason. As I say it seems first thing to do is look for negatives, I will look at positives, and think it a good starting point.
SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby Set to launch New International Rugby Competition
