New comp on knife edge
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew admits the deadline is fast looming for World Rugby’s Nations Championship and by no means appears confident it will progress.
Tew and other Southern Hemisphere nations have voiced their support for the global league concept that received a significant boost this week with news of a potential £5 billion ($9.7 billion) investment in the sport over an initial 12-year period.
France and Wales are also believed to support the proposal but with the likes of Ireland and Scotland opposing promotionrelegation for the Six Nations, the Nations Championship, and the £7.5 million ($14.6 million) annual revenue increase it promises each union, could yet be lost.
Reports from the suggest a broad agreement must be reached in the next fortnight.
While the concept is touted to launch from 2022, Tew admits time is of the essence, with several broadcast deals due for negotiation.
“There are countries up here and also Sanzaar have got contracts that are coming near the end, so there is a bit of time pressure,” Tew told the after meetings in Dublin.
“Also, when you’re dealing with such a large commercial transaction, time is normally quite precious, so we’ve got to keep moving. The exact timeline is not yet determined but we’ll have to keep going fast.”
The increased revenue, coupled with the chance to establish genuine pathways, makes this rugby’s most defining decision since the game turned professional in 1995.
“It’s yet to be determined whether it’s a game-changer. It’s a 12-year commitment, so the money on offer may future-proof the game for that length of time.”
After round table discussions this week, World Rugby is not scheduled to meet again until May 22. By that point, it is hoped many of the finer details can be worked through but, with conflicting agendas, nothing is guaranteed.
“If not physical meetings, there will certainly be some link-ups between now and then.”
Ultimately, for the Nations Championship proposal to succeed, it requires those in the north to vote for the global game, not only their interests.
Much of the focus has centred on the financial needs of the struggling southern nations but so, too, is England’s Rugby Football Union in a precarious position.
Tew expects lobbying to continue over the coming weeks. He made it clear the decision remains on a knife edge.
“There’s been some conversations over the last few “Clearly if the Six Nations sell their rights to their existing competition without any change, that is going to have an impact.” The Nations Championship risks devaluing the World Cup, rugby’s cash cow, and Tew outlined other barriers to the concept which would see leading nations play each other once in a calendar year, with the two best teams featuring in a maximum of 12 tests.
“There’s more travel for the Northern Hemisphere teams; there’s an extra week in the November window, there’s still a debate around promotionrelegation and how the pathway would work for the emerging nations.
“The positive is the offer that’s there provides significant uplift in funding that we think would help us find solutions to those challenges. That’s the work that will now continue.”
That offer comes from Switzerland-based global sports marketing company Infront, who has previously worked closely with Fifa and would, if agreement is reached, package and sell the global rugby broadcast rights. Amazon is expected to be the major partner but Tew suggested rights could be divided a number of ways.
“They [Infront] have not been to the market yet but they obviously back themselves. As we understand it, there is some good potential there around the world for free-to-air