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World Rugby has issued a lukewarm response to a proposed new World 12s competition which is being positioned as rugby’s equivalent to the cricket’s Indian Premier League and The Hundred.
Organisers are planning for 192 men’s players from tier one and tier two nations to be picked via auction to represent eight franchises consisting of squads of 24 who will be overseen by established coaches.
The inaugural men’s tournament, which will feature round robin games before a knockout phase determines the winners, will be staged in England next August and September with an equivalent women’s event launching a year later.
The prospect of All Blacks, Wallabies or Springboks being involved seem to be minimal because of the Rugby Championship being held at the same time.
Equal prize money will be offered for both competitions and the expectation is that the World 12s will be staged in different global venues.
It is hoped that the event will prove a money-spinner while also increasing the global appeal of rugby.
Backers for the new concept include New Zealand’s 2015 World Cup-winning coach Steve Hansen, who is a World 12s ambassador alongside ex-South Africa boss Jake White, while former Wimbledon tennis boss and RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie is acting as chairman.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
“I really think the players will want to be part of this, and they will find a way to push their clubs and unions to look at the calendar,” Hansen told the BBC.
“Why do I think this is different? Because the players are going to have a vested interest, they will want to play in it for a number of reasons.
“One, financially, that’s the obvious one. Two, I think the concept of being able to spend three weeks with some of the best players in the world, rub shoulders on the training field, that is too good to turn down.
“You look at the IPL, people want to be there for the money, but they want to be there because of who they are playing with.”
Hansen, in a separate interview with rugbypass added:
“The game [XV rugby] has been around for a long, long time – we’re pretty used to it and have probably got a little complacent.
“World 12s gives us an opportunity to get really excited and move people’s backsides from the back of the seat to the front of it. It’s an exciting concept, to play a game of rugby that is going to be fast, that is about skill. It will encourage big men, little men right across the park. Fans will enjoy that.
“It’s a really big opportunity to look at something on the laws to make them simpler, easier to understand and work with the rest of the world on that so we can be showcasing those without introducing a whole load of gimmicks – we still want the concept of the (15s) game.
“And it’s an opportunity for players to be able to rub shoulders with guys that they don’t necessarily rub shoulders with.
“When they select it will be players from all over the world and it’s a three-week competition.
“Player welfare has been something we have already talked a lot about to make sure we are not taxing players.
“It’s a proposal that is really going to change the face of rugby and enhance it as opposed to detracting from it. I’m really excited.”
Despite the heavyweight names attached, the sport’s global governing body World Rugby has responded to its launch by questioning how it will fit within the new global calendar which is currently being drawn up.
“We are aware of the proposed new World 12s competition,” a World Rugby spokesperson said.
“While we welcome innovative thinking with the potential to advance the reach, attractiveness and growth of the sport, comprehensive consultation with the organisers is required to understand the viability of the concept, particularly in the context of ongoing global calendar discussions and the priority area of player welfare.”
It is difficult to see how the World 12s belongs in an already congested schedule and details beyond the format and rules of the event are thin on the ground.
Unquestionably the biggest problem it faces is player release with clubs and provinces in European leagues unlikely to allow their stars to take part during a time of year when they are either on holiday or in pre-season.
Ritchie sees a bright future for a competition backed by a UK-based financial consortium and claims he has had made headway with the unions, leagues and players associations he will need to convince if the project is to get off the ground.
“World 12s is a natural evolution for rugby union. We feel that this is a game for our changing, fast-paced world that can excite a global fan base in the way that we have seen with the IPL or most recently The Hundred in cricket,” Ritchie said.
“In bringing together the most exciting players under the stewardship of some of the brightest rugby minds with commercial backing, we are looking to propel rugby forward and lay a positive roadmap for how the game is perceived for future generations.
In the 12s format, each team will consist of six backs and six forwards. Matches last 30 minutes and the competition will take part over three successive weekends.
© AAP
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