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Steve@Mose
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Topic: World Rugby: New international competition announc Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 14:00 |
World Rugby: New international competition announced in 'significant overhaul'
World Rugby has announced a new competition starting in 2026 as part of a "significant overhaul" of the men's international calendar.
The tournament will be made up of 24 teams, split into two divisions with 12 teams in each, with promotion and relegation starting from 2030.
The top division will include the 10 sides from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship, plus two unnamed others.
The World Cup will also be expanded to 24 teams from 2027.
The new competition - yet to be given an official name - will be played in July and November, replacing the current summer and autumn international windows.
Reforms to the women's game mean there will be no overlap between international and club fixtures for the first time from 2026.
"Agreement on the men's and women's global calendars and their content is the most significant development in the sport since the game went professional," said World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.
"[It is] a historic moment for our sport that sets us up collectively for success.
"We now look forward to an exciting new era commencing in 2026. An era that will bring certainty and opportunity for all.
"An era that will support the many, not the few, and an era that will supercharge the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries.
"I would like to thank all my colleagues for their spirit of collaboration. We have achieved something special."
The future changes have been announced four days before the winners of the Rugby World Cup will be crowned, with New Zealand facing South Africa in the final in Paris on Saturday.
'Significant uplift' in games for tier-two nations
Teams confirmed to be participating in the top division of the new global competition are the sides which compete in the annual Six Nations tournament in Europe - England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy - as well as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, who compete in the southern hemisphere's Rugby Championship.
World Rugby said the revamped calendar will provide a "significant uplift" in the number of matches for lower-ranked teams, known as "tier two" sides, against more established nations.
Speaking earlier this month at the end of the Rugby World Cup pool phase, Beaumont said the governing body "must, and will, do everything we can to provide greater certainty and opportunity of regular high-level competition" for those nations.
Fiji were the only tier-two side to qualify for the last eight, and there were mixed fortunes for the other sides competing in France.
Portugal upset Fiji to earn their first win at a World Cup and put in creditable performances against higher-ranked opposition, as did other nations including Uruguay and Samoa.
But Romania conceded more than 70 points in three of their four pool games, while Namibia and debutants Chile were also on the wrong end of heavy defeats.
Several players and coaches emphasised that a lack of regular top-level matches is unhelpful for tier-two sides, although the Covid pandemic was also a factor in a reduced number of fixtures for some emerging nations during the four-year cycle. |
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FHLH
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Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 17:46 |
Will World Rugby fund 2nd division travel etc?
2nd division
13 Portugal 14 Georgia 15 Samoa 16 Tonga 17 Uruguay 18 USA 19 Spain 20 Romania 21 Namibia 22 Chile 23 Canada 24 Hong Kong China
3rd Division (? revamp as 8 team European)
25 Russia 26 Brazil 27 Netherlands 28 Switzerland 29 Belgium 30 Korea 31 Zimbabwe 32 Germany 33 Kenya 34 Poland 35 Czechia 36 Ukraine
Edited by FHLH - 24 Oct 2023 at 17:51
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Raider999
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Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 13:00 |
FHLH wrote:
Will World Rugby fund 2nd division travel etc?
2nd division
13 Portugal 14 Georgia 15 Samoa 16 Tonga 17 Uruguay 18 USA 19 Spain 20 Romania 21 Namibia 22 Chile 23 Canada 24 Hong Kong China
3rd Division (? revamp as 8 team European)
25 Russia 26 Brazil 27 Netherlands 28 Switzerland 29 Belgium 30 Korea 31 Zimbabwe 32 Germany 33 Kenya 34 Poland 35 Czechia 36 Ukraine
| Can't see Russia v Ukraine going well anytime in the next 50 years
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RAID ON
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Steve@Mose
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Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 14:59 |
Some further detail including the expansion of the 2027 RWC to 24 teams.
The 2027 Rugby World Cup will be a "more compact" tournament which will lead to "more interest and bigger audiences", says World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin.
World Rugby have announced the global showpiece will expand to 24 teams in Australia in four years' time.
With six pools of four teams, there will be a shorter pool stage and an extra round of knockout matches.
Gilpin says it is the "right time" to expand the men's competition.
"At some point you just have to take that leap," Gilpin told BBC Sport.
"Australia is going to be a great host, with great stadium infrastructure and great infrastructure for teams.
"It will be a format that will allow us to have a more compact tournament, with six pools of four teams moving into a round of 16, more knockout content which is what fans would love to see, and provide some really good opportunities for more interest and bigger audiences."
Speaking on the day World Rugby announced a reshaped global calendar, Gilpin says more regular competition for the emerging nations from 2026 onwards will help prepare sides for the World Cup and limit mismatches in the pool stages.
"We are going to make the move to expand, and provide more opportunities for more nations to qualify for, and ultimately play in a World Cup," he said.
"And then [we will] work with those teams to create as much competitiveness as we can. And these things sit together.
"The idea of a more regular Nations Cup competition, with pathways from regions into that competition and providing the right type of competition more regularly, is going to allow teams to be better prepared. 2027 feels like the right time to make that move."
Nations Championship 'not a closed shop'
Gilpin has also moved to allay fears the new 'Nations Championship' competition, which will run every other year from 2026 onwards, will be a "closed shop" which will only benefit the elite rugby nations.
The new competition will be made up of the sides from the Six Nations and The Rugby Championship, as well as Japan and Fiji.
While the 12 nations will play against each other for the first two stagings of the tournament, in 2030 there will be a promotion and relegation play-off, allowing a team from outside the 12 to join from 2032.
The play-off will take place on a fourth weekend in the November window, on the same weekend as a 'Grand Final' to determine a Nations Championship winner.
"Those top 12 will play in a division one effectively, establish that competition - but that is already two teams [in Japan and Fiji] that don't [currently] have access to that level of competition on a regular basis," Gilpin added.
"The next 12 will play in a second division, regional competitions will promote and relegate teams into that second division, so that is the important part of the pathway.
"Then from 2030 there will be relegation and promotion between division two and division one. So in time a really historic opportunity that doesn't currently exist." |
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Albert Fishwick
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Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 15:02 |
They would have been better off taking the RWC back to 16 rather than up to 24. That would in itself shorten what has become a bloated event.
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That's easy for you to say.
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Steve@Mose
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Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 15:07 |
Albert Fishwick wrote:
They would have been better off taking the RWC back to 16 rather than up to 24. That would in itself shorten what has become a bloated event. |
Maybe it is about giving Ireland more chance of winning a RWC knock-out match for the very first time.
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FHLH
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Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 16:24 |
Raider999 wrote:
25 Russia 36 Ukraine |
Can't see Russia v Ukraine going well anytime in the next 50 years[/QUOTE]
Details, details ![LOL LOL](smileys/smiley36.gif)
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Steve@Mose
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Posted: 11 Apr 2024 at 18:57 |
Rob Baxter: Exeter Chiefs boss wary of new world club competition plans
Exeter boss Rob Baxter says plans for a new club world championship have to be viable for the sides that take part.
Plans for eight sides from Europe to face six teams from Super Rugby and two from Japan's Rugby League One have been mooted for June 2028.
They come as English clubs try to recover from tough financial times brought on in part by Covid-19.
Reports say the format of the Champions Cup could be changed to make room in the calendar for the new event.
"If someone says to me that in four years time they've got the finances in place that cover everyone's travel costs and there's a TV deal that means all the clubs involved in it get millions of pounds, and it helps all the clubs be viable, thriving businesses, I would say it's exactly what the game needs," Baxter, Exeter's director of rugby, said.
"If what, as normal happens, is, 'Let's try and give it a go and see if we can make it work and see if we can create some interest,' I would be very hesitant about it because you can very easily create bigger issues in the game trying to solve issues, as we have seen numerous times."
...
Analysis
Chris Jones, BBC rugby union correspondent
Plans for a World Club Championship are gathering pace, with a first edition of the tournament set to take place in 2028.
Under the proposals, the quarter-finalists from the Champions Cup would go into a competition with eight other clubs from around the world to see who is crowned world club champion.
This tournament would take place in a block in June with domestic finals shifting earlier in the season. The World Club Championship would take place every four years.
The concept is an exciting one and has been mooted for years. But as Baxter points out, the devil is in the detail. The tournament has to make financial sense and needs to be logistically manageable.
The inclusion of the South Africans in the Champions Cup should act as a cautionary tale. While they have been good value on the field, the logistics have been extremely challenging - especially for knockout matches at short notice - as evidenced by the Stormers' travel to Exeter last year and the Bulls' travails in getting to Northampton for their quarter-final this Saturday. |
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islander
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Posted: 11 Apr 2024 at 19:58 |
bit curmudgeonly of Baxter IMHO - this seems like a decent concept to me, and he would do well to put on his 'grow the game' trousers...
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tigerburnie
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Posted: 11 Apr 2024 at 20:38 |
Leicester Tigers are playing Georgia Black Lions on May 3rd, clubs could very easily play some of the emerging nations clubs or National sides to help, pre season friendlies spring to mind to get the ball rolling. I remember watching Georgia at Welford Road years ago, this could easily fit in giving sides experience, sure this could include Championship sides as well.
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FHLH
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 05:22 |
islander wrote:
bit curmudgeonly of Baxter IMHO - this seems like a decent concept to me, and he would do well to put on his 'grow the game' trousers... |
Whilst the idea is good, as ever, it's only Baxter who puts a sensible approach. Grow the game would be better including Tier 2 clubs from Europe and Australasia.
Clubs have no cash at the moment.
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Delamas
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 08:15 |
...but he specifically agrees with 'growing the game'. Once again however the plans have preceded the funding and finances.
(Meanwhile, Chiefs are incurring significant costs for this weekend's travel to Toulouse at short notice).
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Paul10
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 08:53 |
There has to be demand for something to grow.
Will the Saints v Bulls sell out?
Hearsay has it that lots of season tickets were returned and the Bulls are resting their A line players.
Baxter mentions the extra travel costs but forgets the extra income from prize money (1/4 final must be more than last 16) and big home matches.
Edited by Paul10 - 12 Apr 2024 at 09:22
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FHLH
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:08 |
Delamas wrote:
...but he specifically agrees with 'growing the game'. Once again however the plans have preceded the funding and finances.
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Finances aside, whatever happened to player welfare? More high profile matches necessitates larger squads. I wonder where this came from? Good thing is that it's only every four years
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Camquin
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:13 |
That what I was thinking, if you have domestic season until May, this in June, then International tours in July and pre-season in August - when do the players get a rest?
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Sweeney Delenda Est
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tigerburnie
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:40 |
Camquin wrote:
That what I was thinking, if you have domestic season until May, this in June, then International tours in July and pre-season in August - when do the players get a rest?
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English players have to sit out on their club games, so fans get to watch the second team quite a lot, this is exactly what Leinster have been doing for years.
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Paul10
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 11:51 |
If only we all had Leinster sized budgets...
Players already play too many games for their welfare and not enough for the sport to work financially.
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Richard Lowther
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 13:07 |
Paul10 wrote:
Baxter mentions the extra travel costs but forgets the extra income from prize money (1/4 final must be more than last 16) and big home matches.
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I've had a quick look for the figures but I can't find them.
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Paul10
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 13:49 |
Richard Lowther wrote:
Paul10 wrote:
Baxter mentions the extra travel costs but forgets the extra income from prize money (1/4 final must be more than last 16) and big home matches.
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I've had a quick look for the figures but I can't find them. |
I've assumed Rugby works like most sports....
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islander
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Posted: 12 Apr 2024 at 15:53 |
Several people either haven't read/absorbed the details of the new competition flagged by Steve@Mose at 1857 yesterday, or discounted them because they don't suit their arguments. The new comp won't have an impact on player welfare/duration of season because the 'North v South' KO games will be instead of the Champions Cup KO stage for that season...
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