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Why a Rugby Club World Cup wouldn't 'be good for supporters'
It’s one of the many questions that rugby fans around the world would love to have answered: which club team would reign supreme if the best of the best were pitted against each other?
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In July, The Telegraph revealed plans for a Rugby Club World Cup involving the best teams from both hemispheres.
The competition, which would reportedly start in 2025, would include eight northern hemisphere teams, seven Super Rugby teams, and a Japanese side.
And it’s an idea which has worked for another sport in the past.
The FIFA Club World Cup has quickly become one of the premier football competitions in the world, and has helped the sport embody its label as ‘the world game.’
Since the turn of the millennium when it was introduced, the tournament has proven itself to be an overwhelming success as it’s made its way to various locations around the world.
But just because it works for football, doesn’t mean it’ll work for rugby; a sport which is steeped in tradition.
In an interview with Rugby World, which was recently published online but was included in the October issue of the magazine, the concept of the Club World Cup was debated.
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Chairman of the Exeter Chiefs Supporters’ Club Richard Cresswell explained why the tournament “would be good” for rugby fans.
“I have been to every Chiefs’ European game since they went up, but I won’t be going to South Africa this season and I don’t think a lot of people will,” Cresswell told Rugby World.
“Since the pandemic the number of people going to away games, even in the UK, has been dropping and I’m not sure there would be a great reception for a World Cup Championship. That is my personal view.
“Even with the European Cup now including South African teams, most supporters I’m speaking to say, ‘that is another match we won’t be able to go to.’ People haven’t got enough money to travel thousands of miles to support their teams.
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“Scrapping the end of the European Cup for a year would be very sad. AS supporters we enjoy going over to Europe, to France.
“Europe is doable but further afield would be out of people’s reach. You can’t go to the southern hemisphere for the weekend and there’s won’t be many going to South Africa, I can guarantee that.
“I’ve been to support the Lions in New Zealand and if you do a trip like that, you don’t do it for a game, you do it for a tour.
“I don’t think it would be good for supporters.”
The competition could potentially see the likes of the Crusaders take on Leinster, or for La Rochelle to battle it out with the Blues.
There are a lot of rugby supporters who would undoubtedly love to see these matches come to fruition.
Fijian Drua chief executive Mark Evans would agree with those fans who are for the competition, saying the event could be “quite decent” for all teams involved.
“I’m not sure a Club World Cup is agreed, but with the caveat the good thing about it is it taps into the current year. You qualify for it for what you do in this season,” Evans said.
“That’s really important as it’s one thing that weakens the Champions Cup, where you qualify for it the year before. Yes, that happens in football but the big clubs always qualify anyway.
“It would be quite difficult not to qualify out of Super Rugby, with seven of them progressing, and there Is the question of where they are going to play all the games?
“In the news report, playing it in one block is a plus for the Premiership because you can play league games all the way from the end of the Six Nations.
“That gives it clear air, which is a big improvement on what happened last season when you were chopping and changing between tournaments and there was no narrative.
“It’s a move towards doing everything in blocks, which I would hope you would see eventually in a regular season… it looks good.
“As for the travel, it would make sense to play one tournament in the northern hemisphere, then four years later take it down south.
“If they are going to try to split it between hemispheres in the same year, I would have a major problem with it. As long as they don’t do that, I think it’s quite decent.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
8 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
4 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
8 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
13 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
13 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
4 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
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