Plans to bring more meaning to midyear and November rugby Test matches are falling into place.
Rugby bosses took steps in that direction last week when they crystallised plans for the Nations Championship that will also help them sync the seasons which for long has been a club versus country point of friction.
Initial plans for the Championship, which will be played in the southern hemisphere midyear and in the north in autumn, were unveiled last year, but last week’s meeting in London brought delegates closer to making the competition a viable alternative to “friendly” Test matches in those windows from 2026.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, delegates had much to consider, with Qatar offering to host the finals of the tournament as part of a three-day biennial festival or “Superbowl” of rugby. They have proposed the staging of six playoff matches between northern hemisphere teams against opponents from the south over one weekend every two years.
The finals will involve the teams from each hemisphere playing off against each other according to their ranking over a three-day stretch before the final involving the leading teams for either side of the equator.
It was initially envisaged that the finals of the tournament would take place in Europe but the geographic neutrality of Qatar, not to mention a considerable cash incentive, may find favour with rugby bosses. The proposed venues will be the same as those in use during the 2022 Fifa World Cup with the Lusail Stadium in Doha the showpiece staging ground.
The bid was reported to be worth £800m (R18.5bn) over eight years with the member nations given seven days to sign up for a two-month exclusive negotiation.
We need a major disrupter or transformer, or innovation, to take us to the next level.
— SA Rugby president Mark Alexander
Under the proposals, the top-ranked European team after the six group matches played by each side would face the leading southern hemisphere team in a grand final to determine the championship winners.
Fiji and Japan will join Sanzaar nations SA, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina in the southern hemisphere mix.
While not revealing details of the championship, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander is in little doubt the game needs a shake-up. “We need a major disrupter or transformer, or innovation, to take us to the next level,” he said.
Promotion-relegation has been a thorny issue in the formation of the new tournament with the existing Six Nations and Rugby Championship combatants reluctant to broker away their position of strength.
A second division, or Challenger Series run by World Rugby, will take place concurrently and is due to consist of 12 teams, with promotion and relegation between the divisions commencing from the start of the third edition in 2030.
The creation of the Nations Championship has received criticism for “ring-fencing” smaller nations outside elite competition and narrowing their opportunities to play against top nations.
Italy, who have been wooden spoonists 18 times in the 25 instalments of the Six Nations launched in 2000, performed a lot better this season. They beat Wales and Scotland, drew with France and ran England close. Italy are now eighth in the world, while Wales, who finished bottom of the Six Nations, have dropped to 10th.
Georgia, who are ranked 13th, have been agitating for a spot in higher competition. Similarly, Samoa, who are ranked 14th, will want to keep the heat on Fiji (11th) and Japan (12th).
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