Soon a League of Nations of the oval?

Soon a League of Nations of the oval?

According to information from the Daily Telegraph, a new competition could see the light of day in rugby, opposing the best teams in the North and the best teams in the South.

He’s been a sea serpent for a long time in the world of rugby, but the project could finally take shape in the next few years. The English daily The Telegraph indeed revealed on Tuesday that the leaders of the 6 Nations Tournament and the Rugby Championship, the two major competitions in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, wish to launch a joint tournament from 2026.

This League would see twelve teams (France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, Fiji and Japan) compete every two years, in two pools, without rise or fall (at least initially, but there could be an opening to integrate Georgia or Tonga with promotion-relegation from 2030). The teams would face each other in the summer and fall, this new “Nations League” intended to replace the Tours of the same nameand thus give stake to matches which usually do not have any.

A final in November in a neutral location

The posters could be the same as we see now, with northern countries moving south in the summer and southern teams moving north during the fall. The top two from each group would face off in the final in November, in a neutral venue, to decide the overall winner of the competition. According The Telegraphthis League of Nations would be held in even years, and the usual Tours would take place in odd years.

It would also make it possible to rule out the arrival of South Africa in the 6 Nations Tournament, as has sometimes been mentioned (especially since the South African franchises have already taken part in the European Cups since this season) . It remains to be seen what World Rugby will think of this new competition between the best teams on the planet which could compete with the World Cup.

Exit mobile version