After brokering the deal for a new European Cup, starting next season, bosses of Aviva Premiership clubs are understood to be working on plans for a World Club competition.
It has been reported that the English clubs will test the resolve of the IRB by proposing plans to create a new worldwide club tournament for the summer of June 2018 which, as it stands, is currently a designated international rugby window.
The Independent
The clubs have clearly been buoyed by the shift of power in the European game after the creation of a new governing body, European Professional Club Rugby, which sees the clubs granted considerably more influence and the unions taking a backwards step.
On the back of this, organisers have reportedly already discussed plans for a month-long World Club Cup with broadcasters both in England and South Africa. It would involve the eight quarter-finalists from the newly-formed Champions Cup, and eight Super Rugby franchises.
Bath chairman Bruce Craig, who was instrumental in engineering the new Champions Cup, has however admitted that a World Club Cup could be delayed until 2022, with international teams’ summer tours already agreed up to 2019, and British & Irish Lions tours scheduled for 2017 and 2021. And of course given the level of politics we’ve seen this season, any agreement is likely to be some way off at this stage.
What do you think of the idea? Would you like to see a World Club Cup take place in the near future?
Sounds like an awesome idea, but at the cost of test matches?
1 @ MacroBull:
Not so sure about this one MacroBull, especially having heard a lot of the stories about apparent goings on around the changing European competition away from Heineken Cup to next years one which Premiership Rugby played a big part in. But being less subjective this is a long way off as it says the mid year International tours have been planned a long way ahead and certainly this needs to be taken into account if this competition is to happen at the time internationals happen now. Also don’t think it would be good for rugby in general if the international window fell away for this club competition to happen as only a relatively small group would benefit – those clubs taking part. Many nations rely on the International matches to bring money into their coffers to try keep their heads above water so what would happen if they lost out on the mid year tour revenue. Would it be right that something that has such a long tradition like Lions Tours have to make way for a club competition…
@ Bullscot:
Maybe they should do it every 4 years. I love the idea of cross hemisphere matches. It would give us an idea of how strong the various clubs/provinces are in relation to each other, and also give those players that don’t quite make it to international level a chance to shine.
@ Bullscot:
@ Lion4ever:
I fully agree with Bullyjock on this.
The big losers would be the Argentine RU, Jock RU, Irish RU etc.
SA, NZ and OZ would still do okay,
but not as well as they would playing 2 or 3 Internationals*, as, “The Clubs” are still under their Sanzar umbrella. Therefore TV Rights would be negotiated by Sanzar.
When the above artictle says, “Summer”, we/I assume this means the timing of the June Internationals…………………………………..Our winter.
* Me thinks.
I don’t think there is enough time for this… instead I would
If Wales tour South Africa this year… bring over 3-5 domestic Welsh teams to play 3-5 local teams, as in a davis cup format in a competition draw, with 1 point for a win.
I’d love the shit our of that.
… have 3/5 English teams tour NZ this year with one off games decided by a draw.
If the tourists only bring 3 teams, then they play south africas top 3 teams after the league stages of the currie cup in the previous year, even if the currie cup holders came in from 4th.
Elsewhere I read that Andrew Mehrtens reckons the time is right for NZ and Aus to drop SA from ZANZAR. Then this competition will work nicely for SA. It will work very well indeed.
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