New nation hoping to join URC warned of the hurdles they face

Georgia outfit Black Lion has been warned that there is a high bar for clubs wanting to join the BKT United Rugby Championship but that being admitted to the transcontinental competition isn’t by any means certain.

Georgia high-performance director Levan Maisashvili said in April that they had begun negotiations about the team joining clubs from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and South Africa in the URC.

Since 2023, Black Lion have competed in European club rugby’s second-tier competition, the Challenge Cup, but URC CEO Martin Anayi said that they will only expand the competition in the right conditions.

He said that several obstacles would have to be overcome before Black Lion can take their place in the competition, especially as they are committed to not clashing with international games.

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“As the URC, we have always had expansion in DNA. We have been the Celtic League, and we moved, and we have tried to grow each time. And we have done that. I think we have genuinely made it a better league.

“I think it is important that we continue to look outwards. But also, the bar is very high because, for every game you add, there is a player welfare issue to engage with.

“And that is something you have to make sure you aren’t compromising. You have logistics, especially when we are transcontinental, and then you have the sporting element, and we want it to be as competitive as ever.

“So I would never say never, but I think the bar is very high to do that. We play less rugby with the URC model and format. We don’t have home and away games in every match.

“And it also allows us to not play across international weekends. We have almost 320 internationals playing in the league, which is almost double what you have in the Premiership or Super Rugby.

“If we do expand in the future, it has to be in the right way, and we don’t fall into the traps of those who have done it in the past, and it hasn’t been successful,” said Anayi.