Proposed Nations Championship

[Derpus]

there are some in the UK that would like to see the Lions tours ended. next tour has already been shortened. Clubs see the length of Lions tours as eating into 'their' time.

Fuck the clubs.

 

[Dan54]

They're already referring to the July & November int'ls as "crossover matches" which tells me that one Group will be the 6N & the other at least include TRC: only question as I see it is does TRC remain a four-team comp with only certain games counting towards WL, or does it expand to take in (say) Japan & Fiji?

There's gotta be plenty of upside for RA & NZR or they wouldn't be pushing so hard to make this happen. I can only assume they've been able to extract a fairer share of the TV & gate monies from the likes of Ringinland.

Re: the Bledisloe, maybe it should sit outside the whole WL/ TRC structure altogether. That way RA & NZR could share the revenue: I think a one-off, winner'takes-all match would have a lot of appeal internationaly.

Ok, I must admit to not having read a lot, but if they are just going to play it as top NH team plays the top SH team, so the finals are held in NH which are really the only extra games, I can't see the point. I actually thought it was give the incoming tours in July etc more meaning, but under this format there really is no change, they won't play games up north in July so they will have to have teams fron each hemisphere in each pool. I really thought they would have qualifying games in July, so they all down here, then final in NH, which seems the only way to get rid of the so called friendlies which is what this was meant to do, make all internationals meaningful.
Or after thinking about it I get what you mean and the 2 groups will play each other, I was thinking pools like the WC. Ok as you were
All makes sense when I stop and think!

 

[kiap]

There's gotta be plenty of upside for RA & NZR or they wouldn't be pushing so hard to make this happen.

Yip

 

[Brumby Runner]

Not sure if you have the full understanding yet Dan, though to be sure neither do I. But from my reading of the tea leaves, I think all six NH sides will be touring to SA, NZ, Japan, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in July with each of the SH sides playing three of the NH sides in one test each. Come November, the tours will reverse with all six SH sides playing in the NH and each will play one test each against the three NH sides they missed in July. The Six Nations and TRC games (one of each combination) will form part of the overall competition.

That way, every test counts towards the competition table and the best teams will fight out the finals. Could conceivably be two teams from the one conference fighting out the final.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ FWIW that's where I think we're headed, too.

 

[Rebels3]

Not sure if you have the full understanding yet Dan, though to be sure neither do I. But from my reading of the tea leaves, I think all six NH sides will be touring to SA, NZ, Japan, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in July with each of the SH sides playing three of the NH sides in one test each. Come November, the tours will reverse with all six SH sides playing in the NH and each will play one test each against the three NH sides they missed in July. The Six Nations and TRC games (one of each combination) will form part of the overall competition.

That way, every test counts towards the competition table and the best teams will fight out the finals. Could conceivably be two teams from the one conference fighting out the final.

Yep i believe each team will play

3x games in SH against NH teams
3x games in NH against SH teams
and 5x games in your own Hemisphere against other teams in your Hemisphere = 11 matches

 

[Dan54]

Not sure if you have the full understanding yet Dan, though to be sure neither do I. But from my reading of the tea leaves, I think all six NH sides will be touring to SA, NZ, Japan, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in July with each of the SH sides playing three of the NH sides in one test each. Come November, the tours will reverse with all six SH sides playing in the NH and each will play one test each against the three NH sides they missed in July. The Six Nations and TRC games (one of each combination) will form part of the overall competition.

That way, every test counts towards the competition table and the best teams will fight out the finals. Could conceivably be two teams from the one conference fighting out the final.

Yep it what I thought would happen originally, then don't know why I got the wrong end of the stick what WOB was saying. Perhaps I will excuse that either 1;I have been reading on phone the last few days with no internet, so read nothing properly, 2; I am more concentrating on upcoming holidays, or 3; I just wasn't thinking or am a dumb bastard at times.
Unfortunately I suspect No 3 is the correct answer

 

[Brumby Runner]

Aren't we all Dan?

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I may never say this again but this from Gregor Paul pretty much nails it imo:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167271

 

[Derpus]

I may never say this again but this from Gregor Paul pretty much nails it imo:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167271

Its not the June or November windows that are the problem. Its the RC.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Its not the June or November windows that are the problem. Its the RC.

It's games against Argentina, and Northern hemisphere teams not named England or Ireland that seem to be the problem.

From Aussie spectator and TV vieiwers perspective anyway

 

[Dan54]

I may never say this again but this from Gregor Paul pretty much nails it imo:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167271

Geez WOB,what's going on when we agree with something Gregor Paul wrote??

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^ not sure but there's these four horsemen hanging around who look like they're just killing time waiting for something to happen

 

[Wilson]

I may never say this again but this from Gregor Paul pretty much nails it imo:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=12167271

its all there in the closing line:

"...rather than rip up everything, World Rugby probably just needs to get smarter about how often the top teams play each other."

There's still plenty to sort out around revenue sharing and the plight of tier 2 nations, but the more that comes out about the "League of Nations" the less it looks like the answer.

 

[Rebels3]

Pichots vision for the league of nations

http://www.americasrugbynews.com/20...t-from-the-small-ones-there-is-no-solidarity/

In short

* 36 nations
* 3 divisions of 12 teams
* promotion and relegation

 

[Strewthcobber]

Not mentioned in that article but he also talked about the resistance from the big (NH?) Nations to a few of his ideas including revenue sharing of gate receipts, relagation, and he wants more changes to player eligibility.

 

[Rebels3]

These would be the divisions if organised on current WR (World Rugby) rankings


A (1st-12th)- New Zealand, Ireland, Wales, England, South Africa, Australia, Scotland, Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan, USA.
B (13th-24th)- Georgia, Tonga, Italy, Samoa, Uruguay, Romania, Russia, Canada, Spain, Namibia, Netherlands, Hong Kong
C (25th-36th) – Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Chile, South Korea, Switzerland, Kenya, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Colombia.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Not mentioned in that article but he also talked about the resistance from the big (NH?) Nations to a few of his ideas including revenue sharing of gate receipts, relagation, and he wants more changes to player eligibility.

Relegation and player eligibility would be the easier of the three issues to overcome. Make relegation contingent on a playoff game against the winner of the 2nd division. Chances are at least initially the 1st div team will win those. Regarding player eligibility. A mandatory stand down period seems fairly fitting. Say a full year. So if a Nathan Hughes wishes to play for Fiji he rules himself out of England consideration and then seats out every possible Test England play. This would also involve a significant financial sacrifice which seems fair enough.

The gate receipts will be much harder to find a middle ground. The potential TV monies would have to be rather enticing for them to even consider it and sure as hell even if that if anyone thinks a 50/50 split would be an option is living in dreamland.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I think Pichots vision for player eligibility would mean Hughes never played for England in the first place

 

[Wilson]

Regarding player eligibility. A mandatory stand down period seems fairly fitting. Say a full year. So if a Nathan Hughes wishes to play for Fiji he rules himself out of England consideration and then seats out every possible Test England play. This would also involve a significant financial sacrifice which seems fair enough.

Even if they just stuck with the current 3 year stand down and wiped out the need for an Olympic sevens qualifying tournament to swap it'd make an immediate difference.