Oh well nevermind
In fairness, I think this deadline was serving the purpose of getting it sewn up with enough time to start the Nations Championship in 2022. The fact that they were willing to invest so much money and fight so hard to get it done makes me think they will be back at some point.
In fairness, I think this deadline was serving the purpose of getting it sewn up with enough time to start the Nations Championship in 2022. The fact that they were willing to invest so much money and fight so hard to get it done makes me think they will be back at some point.
Agreed I still think that we will end up with a closed shop 10 team tier 1 only tournament.
It deffinatly and rightly makes them scared, not that its likely england would get relagzted but one bad year and the loss in income for the RFU would be huge. So yes the unions are scared when right now they have it good with x amount of games a year, no chance of losing that any time soonAmazing what FEAR of relegation and promotion does to unions. Funny how clubs deal with it every season though...
Reading a lot of doom and gloom about this on the SH forums (particularly Australia). Some saying that this is the beginning of the end for Union in Oz and that SA will look to try and manoeuvre themselves out of Sanzaar into the 6 Nations (7Nations)... both of which (if true) would have a destabilising effect on NZ also.
Not sure about the whole SA to the 6N thing tbh, sounds unlikely (but you never know) but having followed Australian Union matters for the last 6 or 7 years (got interested just prior to the last Lions series there) it's not just scare mongering. Regardless of the the fact that their U20's look fantastic right now, the fears are that the Australian Rugby Union will not be able to afford to keep them. There were stories this week that the Brumbies will struggle to pay the £75k fee to the sharks for their SR QF.
All of this on the back of kicking the Sun Wolves (the sole representative of the biggest potential market in the SH) out of Super Rugby.
Don't read too much into those forums, particularly the SA people. We won't leave SANZAAR, Super Rugby or the RC. So just remain calm.
So if this off and the old boys club prevails, what scope is there to grow the test game out of its slump and give developing nations a chance?World Rugby discontinues Nations Championship plans
https://www.world.rugby/news/431488
Oh...finally it is dropped
https://www.world.rugby/news/232038?lang=enThere's not as much as there should be, but there is.
The game would be far better served by enforcing a minimum number of tier 1 vs tier 2 tests each summer/autumn than killing the world cup.