Rugby

World Rugby set to confirm 2020 Test calendar in coming weeks

Decision will include when the four postponed Six Nations matches will go ahead

Ireland’s Six Nations match with Italy still has to be played. Photo: James Crombie/Inpho

Gerry Thornley's face
Gerry Thornley
Tue Jun 16 2020 - 05:00

World Rugby has said it will decide upon the Test calendar for the remainder of 2020, including the four postponed games in the Six Nations, following a vote of the World Rugby Council on June 30th. Such clarity will not be a moment too soon for the Unions concerned.

This follows another round of discussions within the World Rugby Professional Game Forum on Monday containing representatives of all the leading Unions, Federations, the various professional club and provincial leagues, and the International Rugby Players Association.

Ireland’s postponed game at home to Italy could be played on October 3rd or 24th, while the concluding round of the tournament, which was to have taken place on March 14th and included Ireland’s finale against France in Paris, has been provisionally rescheduled for October 31st.

Although this Forum is not a decision-making body, a statement by World Rugby intimated there is still disagreement as to when internationals can be accommodated in October, a month normally reserved for the domestic professional leagues and the 2019-20 European competitions, which are also incomplete and require three weekends to run off.

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“In the absence of full alignment, further information sharing and discussion will be undertaken with all parties regarding the viability of proposed adjustments to the 2020 international release weekends stipulated in Regulation 9 that will enable postponed and other international matches to be played in an adjusted window from October, while enabling the completion of existing club competitions.”

Rest weekends

The vote on June 30th would follow recommendations by the World Rugby Executive Committee. It requires a vote by the World Council to extend Regulation 9 and thereby free up additional Test weekends and the expectation is that the Executive Committee’s recommendations will be passed. A key component is finding sufficient rest weekends for players in what is liable to be a demanding schedule.

This would also facilitate the Heineken Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup being run off in September and October. The quarter-finals would, pending the approval of Government and health authorities, take place on the weekend of September 18th, 19th and 20th, with the semi-finals on the following weekend. The plan is for EPRC to hold the Heineken Cup final on October 17th which is still provisionally scheduled to take place in Marseilles.

In the longer term there is the more vexing issue of achieving a global calendar and World Nations League, within which the Six Nations would move back a month to March/April, while the July Test window would shift to October.

A statement from World Rugby said it welcomed “the commitment between the game’s major stakeholders for further dialogue regarding potential adjustments to the global international calendar.

“All stakeholders believe that meaningful reform of the international calendar is necessary in a much-changed post Covid-19 environment to revitalise the global game and deliver much-needed alignment between international and club rugby with fewer overlaps and enhanced player rest periods.”

This, said the statement, would facilitate “meaningful pathways for emerging nations” and a “global international women’s competition” which would not overlap with men’s competitions.

But there remain significant stumbling blocks toward unanimous agreement on a global calendar, not least the antipathy between the French and English clubs and their respective unions. Furthermore, the French clubs, especially, and their English counterparts are reluctant to accommodate the new global calendar by playing through the summer months.

Admittedly, this hasn’t stopped the Top 14 starting in August and finishing in June, but the LNR President Paul Goze last week warned his French Federation counterpart, Bernaed Laporte: “If you touch the Top 14, it will be war.”