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http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/37354427
Six Nations unchanged in international rugby calendar shake-up
By Chris Jones
Rugby administrators worldwide are nearing an agreement on a new rugby union calendar, which will come into effect after the World Cup in 2019.
The BBC has learned there will be fewer international matches, with summer tours set to be scrapped at least once per four-year cycle.
The Six Nations will not move from its traditional February to March slot.
The British and Irish Lions series and the World Cup will retain their places in the calendar.
The Lions are set to tour in July and August in 2021.
Changes at a glance
- Summer tours set to be scrapped after World Cup years
- Premiership and Pro12 to start later and finish later, at end of June
- Super Rugby in southern hemisphere to finish at similar time
- Six Nations and World Cup unaffected
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont and vice-chairman Agustin Pichot have been leading negotiations, with the changes expected to be ratified at the next council meeting at the end of November.
While a full-on global season is not feasible, there is confidence the new calendar will see a greater alignment between the two hemispheres.
Under the proposals, the Premiership and Pro12 leagues would start later and then would finish at the end of June, with the Super Rugby competition in the southern hemisphere ending at a similar time.
There is also a determination to have less overlap between international rugby and domestic tournaments, which is currently a point of consternation among clubs in Europe.
Meanwhile, sources have indicated that emerging nations such as Japan and USA will benefit from an increase in matches against tier-one teams.
With player welfare said to be central to the discussions, summer tours are likely to be scrapped the season after a Rugby World Cup to enable a longer rest and recovery period for international players.
Hope the NH comps don't start too much later. Like that Fox is carrying the Aviva Premiership over our Spring/Summer.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
If I read that correctly, we lose a quarter of the inbound tours; they are serious money-spinners for us, aren't they?
And for Super Rugby to finish at the end of June isn't too far from where we are now. The final was 1st weekend in August, but that was with a long break for the internationals. We might have to start a week or two earlier (or not have byes) but it makes sense to finish Super Rugby and then have any internationals, followed by the Rugby Championship.
For European club rugby to finish at the end of June, they merely have to start a month or so later (they've already kicked off the 2016-17 season).
However, a truly international season would be hard to manage. Our SR teams play 15 games in a season (up to 18 including finals). A Premiership club in England will play a 22 game home and away season (plus potential semi-finals and final), plus up to 9 games in the European Cup and up to 7 in the Anglo-Welsh/EDF/LV Cup. That's up to 40 games a year. This is one of the reasons players can earn more money in Europe - they play more games.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
Those are the two main points I think. Or at least the ones that affect southern hemisphere (the best hemisphere) rugby.
Less money after spending a lot of it on attending the world cup and starting super rugby some time in January.
That last one is the killer. Don't envy those blokes running around in 40 degree heat.
Its all pointed at the Kiwis.. Its to stop them playing and they might not be as competitive.. ( Tongue in Cheek)
Some interesting points in this article - among other things...
* The Top 14, Premiership and Pro12 are reportedly working towards an October to June club season.
* The Top 14, which currently runs from August to June, is considering expanding to 32 teams and creating a 4 conference system, which would shorten their season and allow them to fit in with the other leagues
* Super Rugby would also finish in June.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/r...posed-11887558
One thing that wasn't mentioned is the mid-year tests would shift to July meaning an end to the one month gap in the Super Rugby schedule
Last edited by beige; 15-09-16 at 10:05.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
I think you may have missed the point GIGS. I said "weekends".
At least you didn't begin with "I know nothing about...."![]()
New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew has put the brakes on a proposal to scrap the southern hemisphere's hosting of June internationals in post World Cup years.
Reports from the BBC on Wednesday suggested changes to the international rugby calendar in 2020 would, among other things, see northern nations no longer trek south in years following World Cups, with a view to mitigating player welfare concerns and burnout.
The BBC report claimed this proposal was set to be ratified by World Rugby in November. Tew had a different view.
"We've got good conversations underway and we all know we need to make some changes. There is no perfect answer but the key thing is it won't be agreed until it is all agreed," Tew said.
"The issue with what they're proposing is it needs to be part of a package. I can't comment on specifics but we're not going to look at one part of a four-year programme for what could end up being six or 12 years. You've got to take the whole thing into account and there's a lot of moving parts.
"There is no agreement until we've agreed the whole package. Talking about one set of June internationals being dropped - and there is no agreement on that issue - is not helpful because it is just one part of a very complex conversation."
The major missing piece of the puzzle from the BBC's report is how the current revenue sharing arrangements would alter - and how the south's shortfall would be made up.
As it stands, southern hemisphere nations retain all revenue from hosting three June internationals; the reverse true for November tests. This system is already a bugbear for some southern nations who feel they miss out on a large slice of the pie from cash-cow stadiums such as Twickenham.
Simply not having inbound June tours in years after World Cups could leave southern nations further out of pocket, unless some form of revenue sharing arrangement is agreed for the respective northern tours in November.
Hosting the likes of the Pacific Islands, Japan, USA or Canada in post World Cup years does not solve the current revenue sharing arrangement with the north.
Full article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...cup-not-agreed