Fiji and Japan could be added to The Rugby Championship
A pair of ‘minnow’ rugby nations could be included in an expanded Rugby Championship even if the proposed global league falls through with SANZAAR hatching a back-up plan.
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Fiji and Japan might still be included in an expanded Rugby Championship even if the proposed global league falls through.
While World Rugby is struggling to get all the major powerbrokers from the northern and southern hemisphere to support the proposed new competition, SANZAAR are looking at a Plan B of adding new teams to the Rugby Championship regardless of the outcome.
The southern hemisphere nations all strongly support the idea of a global league but Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne confirmed discussions were taking place about what to do if the northern hemisphere does not support the proposal.
“We’re supportive of it because it provides greater number of games that are meaningful and meaningful games drive greater fan engagement, which has all the other flow on benefits,” Clyne said.
“But having said that, if it doesn't go ahead we have other options we’re working on with our SANZAAR partners to create new versions of the Rugby Championship with things going forward in the next broadcast cycle (which) hopefully will mirror that concept of creating something that’s a bit more meaningful.”
While Clyne said talks were still preliminary and no decision had been made on a preferred format, the most likely scenario would be for Fiji and Japan to join Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina in a six-team competition that would include promotion and relegation, which was one of the key objections from the northern hemisphere.
“Things like promotion and relegation and those sort of things, which I know are difficult concepts, but that adds interest into the game,” Clyne said.
“We’re open to any sort of formats and the good thing about SANZAAR is that it’s a pretty mature joint venture now so we’ve got a pretty good working relationship around that table to sort of work out what might be interesting formats for the Rugby Championship going forward.”
Any changes would not happen before 2021 when the broadcast deal comes into effect but the recent decision to reduce Super Rugby to a 14-team round robin tournament means there will a little extra room in the calendar so SANZAAR is looking at ways to create extra revenue.
Rugby Australia announced at its annual general meeting on Monday it had made a $5.2 million profit for 2018 after losing $3.7 million the previous year.
The $8.9 million improvement was primarily down to the savings made from cutting the Western Force, and Clyne warned that 2019 would be a loss-making year because Australia was only three tests because of the World Cup.
Tim Gavin was elected as the new Rugby Australia president, replacing Tony Shaw whose two-year tenure came to an end, while former Wallabies flanker Phil Waugh replaced outgoing director John Eales on the board.
Originally published as Fiji and Japan could be added to The Rugby Championship
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