World Rugby: New international competition announc

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."

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.