Bill Beaumont: Six Nations won't be moved
There could be two consecutive months of international action under plans for a new global tournament, newly re-elected World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont has revealed. Beaumont is keen to resurrect plans for an annual competition, possibly with promotion and relegation, which were dropped last year, but stressed the Guinness Six Nations would not be expected to change dates or format.
The former England captain’s challenger and former vice-chairman, Agustin Pichot, was the key driver of the Nations Championship idea but Beaumont has promised to carry it on.
Outside the Six Nations and the southern hemisphere’s four-team Rugby Championship, which is due to take place in August and September this year, a 2017 agreement ensures dates in July and November are set aside for internationals.
Beaumont, who has handed a second four-year term on Saturday, said: “I think there could well be an appetite for putting the two windows together. It could be north going south in one month and then immediately afterwards the south would come north the next month.
“But bear in mind we have to take all stakeholders with us. You have to take the club game and European game with us.”
Beaumont revealed “embryonic” talks had begun with representatives from both hemispheres as well as the International Rugby Players union.
“What we will try to do is bring in a new competition that keeps the Six Nations a standalone competition but there could well be an instance that in the Nations Cup, maybe not all the Six Nations teams are playing at the top level,” he said.
“Sitting below that you could have a subsidiary competition featuring emerging nations and you could well have promotion and relegation. We have to find funding that will enable this emerging nations tournament to take place.”
The 68-year-old added: “I do think there’s an appetite from the Six Nations to look at the Nations Cup. Nobody has ever mentioned to me that the Six Nations would move timescale but in my opinion what would move is July and November.
“Why would you move the Six Nations? It is not affecting anyone else’s window on the global calendar. It’s a six-week tournament that has been played in February/March time since I was a lad.”
Beaumont revealed an independent governance review would be chaired by British Olympic Association chairman and former sports minister Sir Hugh Robertson, with one of the issues being proposals to alter international eligibility rules.
“It would allow players who might have played in a sevens tournament or might have played an odd game for a tier-one nation, to go back,” he said.
“I just think it gives the opportunity to make some countries who are limited in their player resource.
“You also have to think that the grandparent rule, which applies to a lot of Pacific Island players who might not have been born on the island but look upon themselves as Tongans, Samoans or Fijians. As that runs out then it could well be that they find they are losing players.”
The election exposed a north-south divide with Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina all backing Pichot.
Beaumont said: “Whatever happens in life, not everybody is going to agree with you. The question is to try and reach a consensus. I’d like to think throughout my rugby administration, I have been able to reach a consensus.
“I was once part of the RFU when we were kicked out of the Five Nations and had to go to Glasgow to get us back in and managed to do that.”
Beaumont claimed there was no reason why the coronavirus pandemic should derail plans for a global women’s competition and pledged to put player welfare at the heart of every decision.
He said: “When I look at the size of players nowadays, there is precious little room for smaller, skilful players.
“We still have to have a game that is played in 98 per cent of all the world by people at the weekend, girls and boys, men and women, who want to enjoy the game of rugby. We can’t just make it that it’s the domain for huge players.”
PA
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments