IRB planning rugby World Series
IRB planning rugby World Series
By DAVID LONG - Sunday News | Sunday, 21 September 2008
IRB planning rugby World Series - New Zealand's source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz
The All Blacks could play a test for a purse of $27 million at Wembley Stadium in London in 2010.
The massive prize money said to be on offer will be put up by the International Rugby Board for the final of a World Series.
The IRB are desperate to add some meaning to the rugby calendar outside the World Cup and have devised the idea of a biennial World Series which would involve the world's top 10 nations - New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, England, Wales, France, Ireland, Scotland and Italy.
According to UK newspaper, the Daily Mail, the World Series would begin as a round-robin competition, the sides playing each other once, with all Six Nations games and some Tri-Nations results counting towards the World Series
Argentina would play Sanzar nations when they're not involved in Tri-Nations tests.
For example, Argentina would play the All Blacks the same week the Wallabies play the Springboks.
Tests between the northern and southern hemisphere nations would take place in the June and November test windows.
At the end of the two-year period the top-placed nations would play each other in a one-off game to claim the title of World Series champions.
Wembley Stadium is being eyed as the venue for this game because its 90,000 seats make it the most financially attractive.
The IRB would like to get the ball rolling in 2010 and will push for this to happen at a meeting of rugby nations in November.
An IRB spokesman told the newspaper: "A lot of goalposts will need a lot of shifting if the World Series is to get off the ground before the next World Cup in 2011.
"It's a complex jigsaw with a lot of obstacles to be overcome but the idea is taking shape."
Proposals for the bonus point system to include an extra one for an away win, to compensate those with only four home fixtures, are under consideration.
Of course the All Blacks would have to make the final to have a chance of capturing the huge windfall. But as the No 1 ranked side in the world, few would back against them making it.
The huge money generated from the fixture would have massive spin offs for the NZRU which has been running at a loss for the past couple of years and has been losing the fight to keep star players in the country because of its inability to pay the high wages clubs in Europe can.
Despite calls to the NZRU by Sunday News, no one was made available to talk about its views on the World Series.
