Queensland head coach Les Kiss has thrown his weight behind a touted Club World Cup, as the concept moved closer to sign-off.
Reports surfaced overnight that the creation of the Club World Cup moved one giant step closer after European executives signed an initial agreement to start the competition in 2028.
The mooted competition isn’t necessarily new, but hitherto European heavyweights have put roadblocks up to get the tournament up and running.
That has seemingly changed in recent months, with the Investec Champions Cup, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the northern hemisphere and South African clubs agreeing on key principles with their southern hemisphere counterparts so it can begin in four years’ time.
European and Super Rugby officials have reportedly agreed to a new Club World Cup. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
One of the challenges in getting the tournament up and running is the packed domestic and international calendar. It still is the biggest obstacle standing in the way.
But insiders suggest the Investec Champions Cup would do away with the latter stages of the competition every four years to accommodate the Club World Cup.
Instead, rather than there being a champion that season, the quarter-finalists would qualify for the Club World Cup.
As it stands this year, Bordeaux, Harlequins, Leinster, La Rochelle, Northampton, Bulls, Toulouse and Exeter would qualify, with the rest of the sides who missed the quarter-finals to play in a Super Club Challenge Cup.
The top eight would play against the six top-ranked Super Rugby Pacific teams, with another two sides, firming to be from Japan, to make up the 16-team competition.
The competition would take place over a four-week period in June, with a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
Competitions across the globe, including the Gallagher Premiership, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship, would finish in May to make room for the competition under the proposed plans.
Toulouse and La Rochelle are destined to play teams from Super Rugby under proposed Club World Cup plans. (Photo by Christian Liewig – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The Super Rugby competition, which typically finishes at the end of June, would also have to start earlier in 2028 to be aligned with the clubs in the north.
Should it go ahead, Super Rugby would likely start at the end of January or first weekend of February.
Japan’s League One competition currently finishes in May.
Executives are brimming with excitement about the concept because of the commercial revenue – broadcast and ticket – it promises to attract.
First-year Reds coach Kiss, who previously served under Joe Schmidt as an assistant with the Irish national team before working at Ulster and London Irish, added that the competition would benefit Australian rugby because it would expose their players to other styles of the game.
“Personally, the more exposure of those high-level games with teams playing differently (the better),” he said on Tuesday.
“I think they’re exciting opportunities.
“If we can make it fit into the calendar and at the right time, I’m a big fan.
Queensland Reds head coach Les Kiss says he likes the idea of a Club World Cup. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
“One of the great things that you do in the northern hemisphere rugby is the variety of games and style of play from people from different countries and people, who learn the game through a different lens, how they approach the set-piece, the kicking game, the attacking game, or how they approach the breakdown.
“All of those things are important for young rugby players to experience and the more that we can experience it as Australian players, the better that we will be on the international scene as well.”
SANZAAR has taken a back seat in the negotiations, with Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby driving the conversation.
Following the departure of South African representation from Super Rugby, the Club World Cup would be a chance for a renewed focus on the competition in the south which was once the envy of the world.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Look at the Premier League this week. Arsenal and Liverpool who have weaker squads than Man City lost in part because of the European Cups. Its how sport is up here and everyone accepts it. You still haven't told me when you would play the Cups so they don't affect the season. Teams not involved in the last 16 or 1/4 final matches will be more rested than those who aren't so it is always going to effect things. It is why the squads for the top teams are like nothing SR has seen for the last 20 years because they need them.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
That's my point. Often the Heineken means that the best team in a country can't give their best in their domestic playoffs, which in turn leads to inferior teams getting seeded.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
But then does anyone deserve to win their league in Europe then. You ignore the fact that Munster went away to Glasgow and Stormers aswell and won, only barely but still won. The year the Bulls beat Leinster in the semis was not the year that their team beat the C side. Playoffs were introduced into the leagues in Europe to negate for the 6 Nations which has a much bigger impact on the league than anything else. Teams will prioritize what they feel is best for them. Sharks as an example know the only realistic way that they get into the Champions Cup next year is win the Challenge Cup. Currently only Benetton of the 4 remaining teams are in Champion Cup places so they will focus on that. Leinster had Henshaw, Kelleher, Jenkins, Baird, Connors, Byrne, Ngatai, O'Brien starting and VDF, Sheehan, Healy, McCarthy, Frawley on the bench so hardly a B team. Look its a difference in mindset. NZ want to have one competition for club then nothing for ages while Europe in all sports has international and multiple club competitions going on at the same time and what you focus on reflects where your club is., Bulls and Lyon being prime examples from the last two weeks.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Yes just like we don't know whether aliens will invade tomorrow. They lost to the Bulls six weeks after the Bulls had beaten their second string by 50+ points, not one or two.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
We don't know. They lost to the Bulls when they weren't in the right head space
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
No right to, but when Munster only beat the B team in the last minute there's no way they're beating the top team
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Agree to disagree. Yes Leinster are good but they have no given right to win the URC. Its why doing the double is so well prized.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Come off it Brendan, no way does Munster win that comp if Leinster play their strongest available team in the semi. The rest were all playing for second best. The difference is that the Saders aren't prioritising another comp, they and everyone else are equally trying their utmost to win Super Rugby. Every year the winner deserves it. It's not the same in Europe.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Same could be said of the Stormers in the first year of the URC. Following the loss to Glasgow Munster had to go to SA and not lose. After beating the Stormers they headed to Durban where after being 22-3 down they came back to get the draw. If they had lost both games they would have finished 8th or 9th and not even been in the Champions Cup this year. They then had to beat the 4th, 3rd and 1st seeds all away to win the competition. Stormers on the other had finish 3rd, got a home semi because Connacht beat Ulster and a home final because Munster beat Leinster and still lost. What were Stormers and Ulsters excuses. URC is competitive but to say Munster didn’t deserve to win is like saying whoever wins SRP this year don’t deserve to win because Saders are having an off year.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
You'd only have to hold the Heineken final two or three weeks earlier than it was last year. Mediocre Munster were rewarded with a URC title they never would have won had Leinster not played a B team in the semi, which in turn rewarded them with a Heineken seeding.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Its not the European way in any sport. While the League, FA Cup and Champions League are all on different weekends they are all played along side each other and different teams are effected more than others. If we played the Champions Cup earlier when do you do it. Cant do it in September due to RC. Cant do Nov as EOYT, Cant do Feb-March as 6Ns. Have to allow for rest weeks for test players returning. I don't think you reward mediocrity, I am not aware of any team that has won the Champions Cup since probably Northampton in 2000 that wasn't one of the best teams that year and the best team on the day. Are you saying the League do as that is hard to back up either. Test games mess up the league more than the Cups which is why the playoffs were brought in around 2010 to allow the best teams get into the playoffs an win.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
For me it's simple - finish the Heineken earlier so the best teams get a fair chance in both. Otherwise you're rewarding mediocrity.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
So Leinster not winning the URC because the made the finals shows that NH rugby is not as good as SR was because look how good the SA sides are going. But Leinster and La Rochelle not winning their league means the Champions Cup seeding is wrong. It use to be done like the Champions League of sorts where your performance was based on in the cup but we had a civil war over that and the league system won. I didn't like it but it rewards the league winners and has made the URC better as a result. The 4 winners of the 4 biggest competitions are kept apart, after that each group will have two from each league. Munster finished 5th in the URC regular season why do they get seeded because they won their league. Was it fair that Leinster weren't seeded, well they lost to Munster and LaRo in URC and Champs Cups and Toulouse beat LaRo so why should they not be seeded. If you are seeding the winners of the URC and T14 then why not the Prem. This year they did an open draw for the remaining 5 teams and it was due to there being 4 Irish teams who couldn't be in the same group that meant that Toulouse and La Rochelle had a 67% chance that one of them would get them, and Stormers had a 25% chance of getting of getting Leinster and a 75% chance of being drawn with either Leinster, Toulouse or La Rochelle. The simple thing is that when half the teams for the URC are from one country you just hope you get the weakest partner. Stormers have yet to beat Munster so not sure if they had changed places they would have finished any higher up the table and Bulls may have beaten LaRo so same game either way. There is just alot more teams at the same level in Europe so harder to seed.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
That just highlights how fake the Heineken seedings are. LaRo and Leinster had to play the Heineken final in the middle of their domestic playoffs which made it harder for them to win the domestic league. Leinster lose in the semi final, aren't seeded in the 23/24 pool and the result is a group of death and the Stormers having to face the best team in Europe to get to the quarters instead of a genuine 9-16 ranked team.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
That is the strength of the competition. As soon as Munster and Toulouse won their leagues it was always a 50% chance that Leinster would be drawn with either Toulouse or La Rochelle. The fact that the winners of the URC and Prem are both out says that most groups were difficult. From the group of death Stade won no games and Sale lost in the Challenge cup to the Ospreys so not exactly the highest of standards when you don't have to play Leinster. Groups 1 & 2 whose 5th place teams dropped down to the Challenge Cups made it to the last 8 which implies stronger overall groups. 2020 winner Exeter knocked out in the Quarters, 2019 winners Sarries made it into the quarter by 1 point. Plenty times the winners have to win away from home to make the quarters but then that is why La Rochelle are going for 3 in a row. If all teams had of played all the teams in their group then La Rochelle would have finished 2nd
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
If they don't show up they don't get the money. This is all about keeping the lights on for professional club rugby in Oz and NZ plain and simple as both Unions are struggling to cover the costs of SRP and also invest in the women's game. 2025 is Lions, 2026 is the Nations League, 2027 is a WC in the South Pacific, 2028 is Nations League and Club WC, 2029 is Lions, 2030 is nations league, 2031 is back to WC. It is hoped that the Nations League is the silver bullet to have enough to keep all the test players at home. The Club WC is hoped to be the silver bullet along with the Lions to keep the SRP players at home. All of it apart from the WC are all subject to the 6Ns terms and conditions.
piru
Roar Rookie
Yeah true enough We can put up with the NH claiming bragging rights in between World Cups - they're doing it now anyway.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
As long as it pays money I don't think RA and NZ really care about the fans when it comes to SR. And probably most SRP fans would take the money if it mean an extra $1m or so per team to spend.
piru
Roar Rookie
I'm sure you'd find the same in Aus and NZ with only a 1 or 2 hour time difference, too.
piru
Roar Rookie
It's getting ridiculous isn't it? Point being it's all well and good to play the games, but if they're at 3am how interested will we all be?