There are plenty of changes already happening in World Rugby.
The Nations Championship – a landmark joint venture between SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby to create tanew biennial tournament – is set to kick off this year, and which will see the Springboks take on all the teams that participate in the northern hemisphere showpiece tournament.
And instead of the Rugby Championship taking place as is customary, there is another change coming this season as the All Blacks will instead tour South Africa in a manner that mirrors the famed British & Irish Lions tours.
The Nations Championship will not take place in 2027 as it’s a Rugby World Cup year, with a full Rugby Championship also on the schedule. In 2028, the Nations Championship schedule will be reversed, with France, Ireland and Italy coming to South Africa, while the Boks will face England, Scotland and Wales in the UK.
World Rugby contemplating more changes
It’s now come to light that a truly global rugby season could be on the horizon.
According to Midi Olympique, World Rugby is advancing in discussions to align the northern and southern hemisphere seasons.
In short, the rugby bosses are expected to be exploring the possibility of starting the Six Nations slightly later in the year, and shifting the Rugby Championship into a similar window.
By staging the two competitions around the same time in the first half of the year, it would represent a massive step towards a single, synchronised Test calendar.
Support from Springboks
Talks about a global calendar have always received support from Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who called for alignment to end the imbalance between hemispheres.
“It would be fantastic if we can all play the Rugby Championship when the Six Nations is on,” Erasmus said last year. “It would be so much easier to be aligned, instead of some teams peaking while others are flat.”
