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World Test League set to start in 2026
The announcement was made in a joint statement on Saturday by the two bodies and will see the traditional June and November test series fall away in favour of the World League concept that will include all sides in both the Six Nations and Rugby Championship.
Two spots have been created for invitational sides in the inaugural competition, to bring the competition to a 12 spot tournament, but the creation of the tournament will have a significant effect on Tier 2 nations, who are unlikely to face their Tier 1 counterparts until at least 2030.
Essentially that means the 12 team competition will be a closed off tournament, and relegation and promotion will only happen in year five - and for smaller unions that could be a deathknell.
At the moment, sides like Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Spain, Chile, Georgia and 2019 World Cup hosts Japan will vie for the two invitational spots, but those missing out will only have a chance to face Tier one nations in a British and Irish Lions tour year, or after 2030.
So while a shake up of the traditional summer and winter touring schedule is needed, there are some genuine questions about the long term impact of the game and how smaller nations are to grow? Still, with no word on just how the touring will work, and no schedule announced yet, it will be interesting to see how the June tours work - as it could become a nightmare for teams to traverse the Southern Hemisphere to play a series of tests.
Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR will own and operate the tournament, which will take place in alternating years, between British and Irish Lions tours and the Rugby World Cup.
World Rugby will create a newly formed second-tier competition, to facilitate promotion and relegation from 2030 but until then it is essentially a closed shop for the smaller sides.
The announcement comes after executives from the governing body World Rugby, the British & Irish Lions, the Six Nations, Sanzaar and representatives from the Gallagher Premiership, Top 14 and Vodacom United Rugby Championship met in London this week.
The next phase - which is likely to be announced at this year’s Rugby World Cup when World Rugby meets again - will ratify the calendar so that the competitions are aligned and a clearer picture of the fixtures is revealed.
“SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby are working in partnership, alongside global rugby stakeholders, to bring to life a new international rugby competition that will that will be played in the existing July and November test windows,” the joint statement reads.
“The creation of the new competition has been a collective process from the sport, including World Rugby, Unions, key leagues, competitions, and crucially, the International Rugby Players.
“Set to begin in 2026, the new elite competition will feature each of the four SANZAAR Rugby Championship teams (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) and the Six Nations Rugby sides (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales). Two spaces have been reserved for invitational Unions to join the SANZAAR teams. A transparent selection process will be managed by SANZAAR, supported by World Rugby and the International Rugby Players, to determine these two invitational Unions.
“Involved at every stage of developing the new competition has been the International Rugby Players. This connection has been key in supporting the wider conversations around the club and international calendar taking place in parallel, and to ensure player welfare has remained a fundamental priority in all decision making.
“To strengthen the development pathway for emerging nations, World Rugby will create a second-tier competition that will feature teams from Europe and the rest of the world, with SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby actively involved in cementing the link between the two divisions.
“Establishing the two competitions will pave the way for promotion and relegation matches, contributing towards a valuable pathway for teams, and will support ambitions to sustain and grow the global game.
“The introduction of the new elite international competition is testament to the strong ambition across all parties, motivated by delivering context and a stronger narrative around the July and November windows, that can excite players and bring new fans to the game.
“The impact this will have on the game will be to drive its growth and long-term sustainability. This runs alongside the work being done to add greater clarity and balance to the club and international calendar; a process SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby remain committed to help deliver.”
One aspect which was touched on this week at the meetings in London would be to reshape the Regulation Nine - which governs when club players must be released to their national sides. At the moment teams can only get their players six days before a test and often only for a three week window either in June or November.
The Springboks have played several tests without their overseas-based players because the tests fall outside the test window.
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