Premiership Rugby bosses have warned against a “nonsense” breakaway of individual nations from the global Test calendar.
Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty has challenged top administrators to thrash out a new long-term deal to solve the “unsustainable” international season.
The existing international fixture agreements expire after the 2019 World Cup in Japan, with New Zealand hinting they would refuse a renewal under the status quo.
McCafferty believes any effort by a top nation to go it alone in building fixtures schedules could seriously damage rugby’s professional-era progress.
“If we think four to eight years ahead, for countries like the USA and Japan not to have a regular profile of fixtures in the international calendar is just a nonsense,” said McCafferty.
“Those countries have got to be brought into that. And from the club game’s point of view, we have to separate the club and international calendar.”
Guinness PRO12 chiefs have mooted delaying the start of the Six Nations by six weeks with club seasons being completed in advance – but McCafferty insisted Premiership Rugby do not consider that a solution.
A long-mooted play-off between European and Super Rugby champions remains on the agenda for Premiership Rugby, but the English clubs’ governing body staunchly opposes a move to summer fixtures.
McCafferty believes crisis talks featuring all the major players from rugby’s global powers will take place before the end of the year, with a view to resolving this latest impasse as soon as possible.
“A lot of bilateral and trilateral discussions are going on in an unstructured way,” said McCafferty. “I think that will happen before Christmas.
“There are some practical difficulties in doing that, but it’s one of the most important issues for the game and there’s not much time left.
“A world club play-off would be a nice thing to have at some point. We’ve long been a proponent of a world club championship but we’ve got to find space in the calendar to do it.”
english twizz
Guest
This global seasons all good and well but getting the top 14 in France to change with the tv money there will be hard because they need 29 weeks for the league and 9 weeks for Europe which makes 38 weeks before internationals and rest
Zack
Roar Rookie
That's a very promising and encouraging shift. But the RFU's position is going to be dictated by McCafferty and Premiership Rugby. If we can swing the French over, the RFU will have no option but to exercise their authority to run the game in England and pull the private clubs into line. The irony of it all is the player welfare concerns are for the European players who are flogged like slaves by the private clubs. It will probably get worse after Brexit..
Derm
Roar Guru
The supposed of NH unions about a global season is not there. Scotland and Wales are open to moving the Six Nations to facilitate a better schedule. England and Ireland are opposed currently, going by their public statements. However, the CEO of the PRO 12, Martin Anayi, at their season launch this week spoke of the need to change the season to facilitate their plans to expand the PRO12 into US and European markets. They want to separate club and tests seasons where possible. Starting the Six Nations in April would allow this. The PRO 12 is represented at the global season talks by the head of the Irish RFU, Philip Browne. His stance on keeping the Six Nations where it is is softening, said Anayi. Thus, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Italy are open to changing season structure, and may leave English RFU isolated.
Zack
Roar Rookie
Mark McCafferty has no standing to be making comments about international schedules. He's part of the problem with the control they have exerted over the England RFU to the extent that RFU have to yield to the Premiership private clubs when it comes to players representing England. Premiership Rugby should not be anywhere near any World Rugby-initiated negotiations and/or discussions over the Global Season which the RFU has already spoken out against. I hope the SANZAAr Unions stick together and negotiate individual Inbound Tours post-RWC19, and play hardball on revenue-sharing on Autumn International outbound tours to Europe..