A new world order... how plans for big shake-up will impact Wales.

Byline: ANTHONY WOOLFORD Sports writer [email protected]

WORLD Rugby's proposals to scrap the November and summer Test windows and have a global league has divided opinion.

There's been very little sitting on the fence from rugby fans across the two hemispheres since vicechairman Agustin Pichot let the cat out of the bag last month by giving snippets of their plans for the international game to a French media outlet.

And it seems views haven't altered much after World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper fleshed out those proposals in the Sydney's Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

Fans and critics have used phrases like "a small World Cup leaving out the minnows", a "new gravy train for the unions" and "a money-making exercise".

Those supporting the proposals point to proper, competitive rugby throughout the year, as opposed to 'friendly' internationals in the November and June windows, alongside the chance to boost the union coffers with more meaningful games.

In a WalesOnline poll, 55 per cent said the changes would make international matches more meaningful.

But what will it mean if the 12-team league of nations is given the green light to start in 2020? This is what you need to know...

How will the tournament work? THE first tournament would see the top six sides from the northern hemisphere take on the top six from the south.

The November Test window stays as it is, with three games played in the north for each country against southern hemisphere opposition.

The June test window in the southern hemisphere is set to be moved back to July so Super Rugby can complete their competition allowing the likes of the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks preparation time for the new tournament.

What happens then? THE top four sides from the world league go into semi-finals and then a final to determine the winner.

What about the Six Nations Championship? THE Six Nations in the north and Rugby Championship in the south will continue as they are but will now also count towards the new 12-team world league.

That means Wales for example will play their five Six Nations matches, and points accrued in that tournament, will be taken over to the world league.

So, in any one year, Wales will play five Six Nations games and six in the world league against the southern hemisphere countries.

What about the northern hemisphere teams not in the Six Nations? GEORGIA and Japan don't play in the Six Nations yet are ranked above Italy, who do, in rugby's world rankings.

So how could they ever be involved in the world league? And what about the Pacific Island nations? THE new international league is not going to be a closed shop for 12 countries, with planned promotion and relegation and another competition for the second tier nations.

Promotion and relegation in the world league could well pave the way for the Six Nations to be played out under the same format.

It's simple logistics that you can't have Six Nations points counting towards a world league if you're not competing in the European showpiece.

It would be the same for the Pacific Island nations as Samoa are currently down in 16th spot in the world rankings. It does throw up the question of what happens to the likes of Canada, USA, Uruguay and where Japan fit into all of this? When is all this due to start? WORLD Rugby stress this is their preferred option into making international rugby more meaningful and sustainable.

Further exploration work is to be undertaken before the plans undergo a feasibility study with a possible roll-out coming in the autumn of 2020 in Europe.

Have any consultations taken place? PICHOT was reported to have initially pitched World Rugby's plans to New Zealand rugby chief Steve Tew, his South African counterpart Jurie Roux and French supremo Bernard Laporte. But wider discussions have since taken place, with Gosper saying: "I think we've now spoken to most CEOs across the north and across the south, as well as unions across the north and the south, and I think everyone wants to see if the theory leads to higher values and the implications."

What does this mean for the Rugby World Cup? THIS is the $64,000 dollar question and one which the critics have already pounced on.

Pre-empting the accusations the World Cup would be devalued by an annual 12-country league of nations, Gosper said: "It keeps the Rugby World Cup as the pinnacle event but you're building towards that over a three-year period.

"It's interesting from a rugby point of view but it's also regrouping the rights of these international games at one purchase point, which in itself creates an uplift in value - so all international rugby, including World Cup, all the November, July, Six Nations, Rugby Championship, all grouped together."

Results from the respective tournaments would determine seedings for each Rugby World Cup.

What about the future of British and Irish Lions tours? IT'S being reported Lions tours would be protected under the new proposals.

But how games are played in the new July international windows weeks after the completion of a Lions tour remains an unanswered question.

RUGBY SHAKE-UP: WHAT'S BEEN SAID...WORLD Rugby have fleshed out plans for their global shake-up of the game in 2020.

They could effectively see Wales' 2018 autumn international series be the last in the current format.

Vice chairman Agustin Pichot first gave details last month of the radical shake-up being planned, with November and June friendlies replaced by a 12-team league of nations tournament featuring the top six teams from the northern and southern hemispheres.

Now, World Rugby boss Brett Gosper has told the Daily Telegraph his organisation has settled on a preferred option that would dramatically reshape the international game.

"The premise is we need to generate more money for the international game," Gosper told the newspaper.

"And the more meaningful those games are, the more likely they are to generate broadcast revenue, so we're doing an exercise in the viability of a broadcast uplift in those fixtures.

"It just makes sense and it would seem to be the time to do this and there's a consensus and a desire to try and do that "It's not just Australia - everyone can do with more revenue in this area and the sport deserves to get the value it can get for those fixtures."

The competition would see the top six sides from each hemisphere play each other every season with results counting for the 12-team league of nations.

CAPTION(S):

<B A scene that could soon be a thing of the past... Wales players celebrating an autumn internationals try

World Rugby boss Brett Gosper has outlined radical plans to introduce a world rugby league

Article Details

Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:	Sport
Publication:	Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales)
Geographic Code:	4EUUK
Date:	Oct 11, 2018
Words:	1129
Previous Article:	Camera shy? Do you trust social media site Facebook enough to install its new video device in your home? JUSTIN CONNOLLY is not so sure.
Next Article:	You might not know him from Adam, but Warren is a big hitter.