Nations Championship?
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I think the better way to give the T2 sides more games, is adding midweek games to the schedule. All Blacks already take 35+ players on a Northern tour... could easily add 2-3 extras and add in games vs Portugal and Romania for example. You don't want to be reducing the quantity of tests between the T1 teams for pointless games (which is what they are as a contest) that won't engage the fan, particularly the casual fan.
We all joked about the Qatar Airways Cup, but Twickenham was sold out (?)... if that was NZ v Portugal, it wouldn't even be half full.
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The wording, FYI.
Launch of a bi-annual new international competition from 2026, comprising a top division of 12 teams (Six Nations unions, SANZAAR unions and two further unions to be selected via a process run by SANZAAR), and a second division run by World Rugby of 12 teams with promotion and relegation commencing from 2030. Played in the July and November international release windows
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There are some positive element to this. But there are some real shitty parts too.
Fiji (and Japan) will get a place at the top table, but the test of the tier 2 nations like Georgia, Samoa & Tonga will be totally shafted. You know how they only get to play about one match a year against tier 1 nations at the moment, and everyone agrees they deserve more? Well, fuck that, they'll be getting pretty much zero now.
They will have regular matches among themselves, which is a positive, but apart from world cups that's it, no more Tier 1 v 2 games. Pull up the drawbridge.
@GibbonRib said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
There are some positive element to this. But there are some real shitty parts too.
Fiji (and Japan) will get a place at the top table, but the test of the tier 2 nations like Georgia, Samoa & Tonga will be totally shafted. You know how they only get to play about one match a year against tier 1 nations at the moment, and everyone agrees they deserve more? Well, fuck that, they'll be getting pretty much zero now.
They will have regular matches among themselves, which is a positive, but apart from world cups that's it, no more Tier 1 v 2 games. Pull up the drawbridge.
The tier one Vs two happen every second year, the odd years. WR say they will get 50% more games with tier 1 then they do now. That's on top of regular even year comp. We'll see if that actually happens. It's going to cost a lot of money for the tier 1, as they're hardly going to sell out huge stadiums versus minnows. I guess there is some money coming from WR to T1 nations to cover that
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In this RWC cycle (2019-2023), Wales has played
Canada
Georgia x 2
FijiShould have played Japan but it was cancelled due to COVID
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I think the better way to give the T2 sides more games, is adding midweek games to the schedule. All Blacks already take 35+ players on a Northern tour... could easily add 2-3 extras and add in games vs Portugal and Romania for example. You don't want to be reducing the quantity of tests between the T1 teams for pointless games (which is what they are as a contest) that won't engage the fan, particularly the casual fan.
We all joked about the Qatar Airways Cup, but Twickenham was sold out (?)... if that was NZ v Portugal, it wouldn't even be half full.
@frugby said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
I think the better way to give the T2 sides more games, is adding midweek games to the schedule. All Blacks already take 35+ players on a Northern tour... could easily add 2-3 extras and add in games vs Portugal and Romania for example. You don't want to be reducing the quantity of tests between the T1 teams for pointless games (which is what they are as a contest) that won't engage the fan, particularly the casual fan.
We all joked about the Qatar Airways Cup, but Twickenham was sold out (?)... if that was NZ v Portugal, it wouldn't even be half full.
All Blacks v Portugal/Romania is pointless, contest-wise. But Italy v Georgia, or Samoa v Wales, or Portugal v Japan, isn't - those are the fixtures that rugby needs more of
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In this RWC cycle (2019-2023), Wales has played
Canada
Georgia x 2
FijiShould have played Japan but it was cancelled due to COVID
@MiketheSnow said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
In this RWC cycle (2019-2023), Wales has played
Canada
Georgia x 2
FijiShould have played Japan but it was cancelled due to COVID
So the plan does work if we're including Wales. It means teams can move from second tier to consistent competition with tier one nations...
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In this RWC cycle (2019-2023), Wales has played
Canada
Georgia x 2
FijiShould have played Japan but it was cancelled due to COVID
I had to look up our fixtures over the same period and was surprised at how many Tier 2 matches we'd played:-
Georgia
USA
Canada
Tonga
Japan
FijiEdit: Not including current RWC games clearly.
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There are some positive element to this. But there are some real shitty parts too.
Fiji (and Japan) will get a place at the top table, but the test of the tier 2 nations like Georgia, Samoa & Tonga will be totally shafted. You know how they only get to play about one match a year against tier 1 nations at the moment, and everyone agrees they deserve more? Well, fuck that, they'll be getting pretty much zero now.
They will have regular matches among themselves, which is a positive, but apart from world cups that's it, no more Tier 1 v 2 games. Pull up the drawbridge.
I like the idea overall, but they had an opportunity to help the smaller countries by tweaking the games and the promotion-relegation rules but seem to have blown it.
As @Catogrande said, it seems like pull up the drawbridge and throw a bone to the minnows.
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I had to look up our fixtures over the same period and was surprised at how many Tier 2 matches we'd played:-
Georgia
USA
Canada
Tonga
Japan
FijiEdit: Not including current RWC games clearly.
@Catogrande
AB's have played exactly the same Tier 2 Nations between RWC's except in our case replace Georgia with Australia -
@frugby said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
I think the better way to give the T2 sides more games, is adding midweek games to the schedule. All Blacks already take 35+ players on a Northern tour... could easily add 2-3 extras and add in games vs Portugal and Romania for example. You don't want to be reducing the quantity of tests between the T1 teams for pointless games (which is what they are as a contest) that won't engage the fan, particularly the casual fan.
We all joked about the Qatar Airways Cup, but Twickenham was sold out (?)... if that was NZ v Portugal, it wouldn't even be half full.
All Blacks v Portugal/Romania is pointless, contest-wise. But Italy v Georgia, or Samoa v Wales, or Portugal v Japan, isn't - those are the fixtures that rugby needs more of
@GibbonRib said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
@frugby said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
I think the better way to give the T2 sides more games, is adding midweek games to the schedule. All Blacks already take 35+ players on a Northern tour... could easily add 2-3 extras and add in games vs Portugal and Romania for example. You don't want to be reducing the quantity of tests between the T1 teams for pointless games (which is what they are as a contest) that won't engage the fan, particularly the casual fan.
We all joked about the Qatar Airways Cup, but Twickenham was sold out (?)... if that was NZ v Portugal, it wouldn't even be half full.
All Blacks v Portugal/Romania is pointless, contest-wise. But Italy v Georgia, or Samoa v Wales, or Portugal v Japan, isn't - those are the fixtures that rugby needs more of
All Blacks v Portugal/Romania does have value as far as raising some interest, selling tickets for the home union etc, look at the All White when they get to play some of the bigger names, whole lot of press, sell out a stadium etc
i kind of feel the same top teams only playing the same top teams just stagnates things
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@Duluth said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
It makes me sick, all these great games going to ME with no local support. golf, soccer. But rugby needs the $$$
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if they want it in a neutral venue half way between NH and SH then have it in LA (i know they probably havent bid)...somewhere theyre trying to grow the sport...and has a respectable domestic rugby comp
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@Duluth said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
It makes me sick, all these great games going to ME with no local support. golf, soccer. But rugby needs the $$$
@Machpants said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
But rugby needs the $$$
It does.
And I will watch on TV so couldn't give a toss where it's held. And isn't it just for one round of matches
£800M is VG money too (£200M or NZ400M per yr). Esp if NZ have their home games there. It would add variety
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if they want it in a neutral venue half way between NH and SH then have it in LA (i know they probably havent bid)...somewhere theyre trying to grow the sport...and has a respectable domestic rugby comp
@Kiwiwomble said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
then have it in LA
ReallY. Playing rugby in the US has a boring factor IMHO
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@Machpants said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
But rugby needs the $$$
It does.
And I will watch on TV so couldn't give a toss where it's held. And isn't it just for one round of matches
£800M is VG money too (£200M or NZ400M per yr). Esp if NZ have their home games there. It would add variety
@Winger said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
@Machpants said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
But rugby needs the $$$
It does.
And I will watch on TV so couldn't give a toss where it's held. And isn't it just for one round of matches
£800M is VG money too (£200M or NZ400M per yr). Esp if NZ have their home games there. It would add variety
Kind of understand your reasoning mate. Like you I won't be going , so where it's played makes no difference. And the fact it's neutral country perhaps isn't worst thing.
Not absolutely sold on it quite yet, but looking at reason why it would be good to hold it there. No doubt with a bit of thought will find negatives, but would need to research it a bit more. -
if they want it in a neutral venue half way between NH and SH then have it in LA (i know they probably havent bid)...somewhere theyre trying to grow the sport...and has a respectable domestic rugby comp
@Kiwiwomble said in Six Nations, SANZAAR New tournaments in 2026:
if they want it in a neutral venue half way between NH and SH then have it in LA (i know they probably havent bid)...somewhere theyre trying to grow the sport...and has a respectable domestic rugby comp
Yeah, nah
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6UmjVvsKIy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link -
sad reality of professional sport - I think the only concern is that the stadiums will be empty which is a horrible look.
