Changes threaten smaller nations
HERE we go again! No global season, but a new inter-hemisphere international tournament set to be overlaid on the international calendar. There had better be a truck-load of cash involved in World Rugby’s move towards a North–South world league or it is in danger of just making things worse.
I haven’t studied the finer details of the proposal, but what made my ears prick up was when I heard it will mean the Six Nations giving up a rest week in the championship. Two blocks of three games in a row may not seem too much of a change, but from experience I can tell you that will greatly impact the workload and intensity.
And what it will mean for the smaller nations is their resources will be even further stretched by injuries. England, France and these days Ireland, have much larger playing numbers than the other three nations. In Wales, when you get down to your third or fourth choice in any position the quality goes out of the window. That is not the case for the English, French and Irish.
When you only have four professional teams, it is difficult to build sufficient strength in depth. With greater pressure on the players in the Six Nations with six games in seven weeks, and higher intensity in the summer and autumn Tests due to the new World League, will the injury lists grow ever longer, and will there be a greater likelihood of player burn-out?
Which leads me to the next question. How much involvement has World Rugby had with the players’ organisations in planning this new structure? I hope they have been consulted along the way, and I hope their opinions have been taken on board. That certainly hasn’t been the case in the past.
The new concept would see Test rugby adopt a league format, with two groups of six from each hemisphere. The northern group would consist of the current Six Nations teams, while the southern group would see Japan and Fiji join the four Rugby Championship teams.
This would seemingly shut the door on talk of the Springboks joining the Six Nations for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, the British & Irish Lions tours would be protected every four years. And therein lies the real essence of the thinking. The Lions tours bring in countless riches for the southern hemisphere nations and is established money. The quest now is to find new income streams. The game needs it, the players’ wages depend on it – but it cannot be to their detriment.
Looking at the nuts and bolts of the scheme, every two years from 2026, northern hemisphere nations will play three southern hemisphere teams away from home in the July window, with reverse fixtures played in November. That would mean an end to the traditional three-week tours against a host country. The top team from each pool would then face each other in a “grand final”, while the other teams would play ranking playoff fixtures.
But what will it mean for the Tier 2 nations? Does it mean the rich merely get richer and to hell with the rest of the world? If I were from Georgia, I’d see this as a slap in the face for their development. There won’t be any access into the ring-fenced Six Nations, and they will be out on a limb in the World League until there is some form of promotion and relegation. That isn’t being proposed until 2030 at the earliest.
If I’ve sounded a bit negative in my reception to the proposal, I have to add that I’m all for trying to find new ways to attract investment into our sport and to bring in new fans. We are all trying to find a more sustainable future and if this can boost finance and broaden the appeal of the game then let’s go for it!
What I don’t want to see is those players who are facing severe pay cuts at present being asked to do even more for less. I also fear that the enhancement of the international game will further impact on the professional club game. If there is a greater chance of injury from the condensing of the Six Nations, then some clubs could lose players for long periods. It would be the same in the autumn with greater intensity in matches. Of all the levels at which the game in Wales is struggling at the moment, it is at the club and semipro levels.
The best talent is still reaching international level, but there simply isn’t enough of it. The lack of success at regional level is at the heart of many of the failings in Welsh rugby at present and with wages falling, and squad sizes shrinking, it is difficult to see how things are going to change.
Both Cardiff Rugby and the Ospreys will be in action in Europe this weekend and they both find themselves coming up against the top two teams in England – Sale Sharks and Saracens. Cardiff are hoping to win the EPCR Challenge Cup for the third time, while the Ospreys will be looking to add the significant scalp of Sarries to those of Montpellier and Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup.
It will be knock-out rugby and will reveal much about where the regions are after the fall-out from the near strike by players and the saga over contracts and wages.
It is crunch time for both regions before they meet in the final URC game of the regular season at Principality Stadium on Judgement Day to determine which one will end as the top side in Wales. There is still a lot to play for, a lot of excitement in store and a number of chances of players to put up their hand in the race for World Cup consideration.
"I'm all for trying to find new ways to attract investment into our sport and bring in new fans"