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Two nations could join Rugby Championship in wake of Nations Championship failure
The Rugby Championship could be expanded to accomodate tier two nations Fiji and Japan after World Rugby scrapped plans to introduce a global Nations Championship tournament earlier this week.
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The Nations Championship was scheduled to begin in 2022, and would have taken place in in the traditional test windows – during the Six Nations in February and March, mid-year tests in July, Rugby Championship in August and September, and end-of-year tests in November.
The top two teams would then have met at the end of the year in a grand final at a neutral venue.
Introducing the multi-layered, promotion-relegation tournament would have secured participating unions millions of dollars in revenue.
As a result, cash-strapped nations in the southern hemisphere were interested in the proposal, but traction to bring the concept to fruition fell short following resistance from some northern hemisphere countries.
New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey has voiced his disappointment at the decision, saying “a golden opportunity to grow the game internationally”.
In the aftermath of the decision, though, Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle said SANZAAR could now look at expanding the existing Rugby Championship to beyond its current four-team structure.
She hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing Japan and Fiji, two sides that were involved in discussions with World Rugby about the Nations Championship proposal, into the competition alongside New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
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“Certainly what World Rugby Nations Championship has done with this project is allow us to think outside the box about different things, around the calendar, the timing, inclusion of different teams, all of those things,” she said in a conference call on Thursday.
“It’s allowed the SANZAAR nations to think about the expansion of the Rugby Championship, how does that work from a team participation point of view, a commercial sustainability point of view, how does it work to grow the reach of the Rugby Championship, and one of the options is the expansion of the Rugby Championship but no final decision has been made.”
Japan would provide the most financial prosperity of all the involved nations, and shocked the world with a 34-32 victory over the Springboks at the 2015 World Cup in England.
A steady flow of promising results in the ensuing years suggests they have the ability to compete with tier one nations in the long-term future, and their performances at this year’s World Cup, which they are hosting, will be indicative of how competitive have become.
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Fiji, meanwhile, have long been been shunned from facing quality, tier one opposition on a regular basis, largely for their lack of financial security.
However, many Fijian-born players have gone on to star for other nations, and Fiji themselves have performed above expectation on occasion, with their most notable success coming during the 2007 World Cup, when they beat Wales to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
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Comments on RugbyPass
that 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
24 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
48 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
24 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.
24 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.
24 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.
24 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.
24 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 commentsAfter missing the curfew, the player was simply too “Shagged” to stand up.
17 Go to commentsVernier is probably the best 12 in the world though she has some English competition these days . I am nervous for England because it is unpredictable France and who knows which team will turn up, but they have not yet shown anything that should worry England, Saturday could be a different day. I would be more confident against the BFs.
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