Global Calendar

From the BBC:

'Rugby's leaders are aiming to make a decision on the sport's future global calendar by October after talks in London this week.

A two-tier men's tournament in July and November has been proposed for alternate years.

It is also understood the Six Nations Championship could lose one of its rest weekends to accommodate a longer November international window.

World Rugby said "player welfare" was high on the agenda.

Representatives from World Rugby, the British and Irish Lions, the Six Nations, and the Rugby Championship, along with stakeholders from International Rugby Players (IRP), the unions and professional leagues all attended.

Talks are expected to continue, and any decisions will have to be ratified by the World Rugby Council in October.

Despite World Rugby stating "promotion and relegation being a goal for the global calendar", it is not thought it will be included in the early years of the competition, which will take place during years without a World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour.

The Six Nations will continue to be a standalone tournament without any promotion or relegation.

Concerns in the sport have grown over the amount of rugby some internationals are expected to play with ever-expanding domestic and international calendars.

The governing body's 'Regulation 9' is the current framework for the release of players by clubs for international fixtures.

There is currently meant to be a three-weekend international window in November, but increasingly some unions have added a fourth fixture to this period, leaving grey areas for unions and clubs regards player release.

This week IRP tweeted its views on the talks, saying: "Any global season must have opportunities for Emerging Nations and must put player welfare first and foremost."

IRP has also called on World Rugby to standardise player rest periods and introduce a maximum match quota for all players worldwide.

Regulation 9 was confirmed as "under review" by World Rugby.

It added: "Central to the development of the men's calendar is optimising player release for players moving between the club and international environments, overall welfare optimisation including rest periods, and a greater level of clarity around fixtures for high-performance unions and emerging nations including with the Six Nations and SANZAAR [Rugby Championship] teams."'

So are they saying we align all leagues etc?

When does this take place...our winter as normal for us? Their winter? Who makes that call? That then forces us to become a summer sport. Many wont want that?

Why do we need ANOTHER 2 international tournaments?

Presumably the tournament would replace the summer and autumn tours. I mean if it formalises those tours in to a competition that increases exposure to the tier 2 and 3 nations then great. If its just a ring fencing exercise then its just the status quo with a rebrand.

Surely with english and welsh rugby going through a crises moment and with NZ and OZ being a bit skint theres going to be some frank, open discussions about how to preserve the professional game, both club and international?

I thought I read that it meant one less six nations weekend, for more rugby in the summer. We shall see. Madness.

Geordie wrote:So are they saying we align all leagues etc?

When does this take place...our winter as normal for us? Their winter? Who makes that call? That then forces us to become a summer sport. Many wont want that?

Why do we need ANOTHER 2 international tournaments?

Because the rocket scientists at World Rugby can't think of any other way to grow the sport and make more money. They are clueless how to advertise and create a truly global strategy modified for each country or region.

More tournaments are just Rugby people hitting up other Rugby people for money. I can't see these will make much of a growth impact, or much of any impact at all.

I read it more as it's a bit of a rebranding. Plenty of my mates think of the AIs in the same light as football friendlies and thus simply ignore them whereas they will watch 6Ns games. Banding these as a tournament may make it an easier sell to the casuals?

6 nations is losing one of it's fallow weeks to help with the scheduling of this.

That's a good thing for me, hate the weeks off.

No 7&1/2 wrote:That's a good thing for me, hate the weeks off.

And me.

So are there any details on these new tournaments?

No 7&1/2 wrote:I read it more as it's a bit of a rebranding. Plenty of my mates think of the AIs in the same light as football friendlies and thus simply ignore them whereas they will watch 6Ns games. Banding these as a tournament may make it an easier sell to the casuals?

Have to say I sort of agree with your mates, 7&1/2. I don’t ignore the AIs. Actually quite enjoy them. But I’ve never been able to get my head out of feeling like they’re friendlies. Don’t know why. It’s the one place I’m happy for my team to experiment and pick youngsters and try to develop strength in depth. Maybe the summer tours too if it’s against any tier 2. But the AIs, even though for Wales it usually means 3 games against tier 1, is never really ‘serious’ for me. Maybe this will help me see it differently.

No 7&1/2 wrote:I read it more as it's a bit of a rebranding. Plenty of my mates think of the AIs in the same light as football friendlies and thus simply ignore them whereas they will watch 6Ns games. Banding these as a tournament may make it an easier sell to the casuals?

I hope you are right, but, unfortunately, I rather doubt it. Still seems like Rugby folk talking to Rugby folk. On the other hand, I am sure that is the thinking of whomever came up with this. Outside of the Six Nations and the RWC, when do we actually see an advertising campaign for Rugby?

The summer and autumn internationals already sell out, it is TV money they are after from an Amazon or such like, with the marketing of a 'tournament', spread over 4/5 months.
WR driven by Unions, have no choice but to squeeze every last financial dropout of the Test game, to ensure that those Unions that fund their own small number of domestic franchises have an economic future.

The loss of weekends out of the 6N and Euro competitions is simply to squash in the club game between Test periods. It is not sustainable and the breaking point will be the Springboks, caught between both hemispheres - it's just a question of when.