Rugby Chiefs Warned To Resolve Global Calendar Now Or Risk Losing Sport's Future To Private Equity

Rugby chiefs have been warned that private equity will take over the global calendar reform process unless firm commitments are made towards the Nations Championship in a crucial week of talks in Dublin.

The chief executives of the Six Nations and Sanzaar unions plus World Rugby representatives will meet on Tuesday to discuss a proposal, put forward by a working group which would establish a biennial Nations Championship between the north and south starting in 2026. This would represent international rugby’s biggest shake-up since the dawn of professionalism in 1995. 

Crucially - unlike a similar proposition three years ago - the players are fully on board with Conrad Smith, the head of welfare, at the International Rugby Players (IRP) part of the working group that drew up the plans. The emerging nations have also signalled their support for the proposal. 

Stumbling blocks remain over promotion and relegation as well as the revenue share for the new tournament, but the former New Zealand centre says it is now or never to get a competition established, otherwise rugby’s future will be surrendered to private equity groups which are already buying into competitions and unions. 

“It's come to a point where we need to either get some sort of commitment that is workable and then taking the next steps rather than more rounds of talking,” Smith told Telegraph Sport. “We have been talking for the best part of 20 years now. We need something more than words. 

“If it doesn't work now, I am sure it will take a totally different shape and it might be a private equity group coming in and doing that. Ideally for rugby as sport, we do this ourselves, and so we keep the benefits that will come from this. If private equity comes in then they take their cut. 

“That's something that could be going to the unions, could be going to the emerging nations and could be going to the women’s game and growing that further. I've seen the way private equity works and they can make things happen that traditional means can't achieve. I'm still hopeful that we can set this up, but it might just mean that a few parties put their own commercial interests aside for the greater good.”

Under the plan, the Nations Championship would have a top division of 12 teams containing a pool of the Six Nations countries who would play a game each against a pool of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Fiji and Japan. In the July window, a European nation would play three games in two countries to minimise the amount of travelling which was a key concern for players last time. In November, the Six Nations countries would play their remaining three matches at home and the teams at the top of each pool would face off in a Grand Final. 

For example, England could play in Australia and then travel to New Zealand to face the All Blacks and Fiji who would be the ‘host’ team. In November, England would then host South Africa, Argentina and Japan. 

The tournament would only take place outside of World Cup and Lions years. Results in the Six Nations and Rugby Championship would not be counted and membership of those tournaments would not be affected. 

There would also be a mirror tournament for emerging nations such as Georgia, Tonga and Samoa divided between European and Pacific Nations. Under the current plan, the emerging nations would have the opportunity to enter the top division with a promotion-relegation play-off against the teams finishing bottom of their pool.