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“Absolute disgrace” – World Rugby exclude Georgia from new international tournament
According to reports in Georgia, the highly controversial plans by World Rugby to establish a ‘World League’ have now been finalised.
The traditional July Test series and November internationals will be replaced by this new league, which is scheduled to be introduced in 2026.
Under the proposed format, six teams from each hemisphere, including the Six Nations countries (England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) and the Rugby Championship sides (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), are expected to participate.
Additionally, Japan and Fiji are likely to be included as well. These teams will be divided into two groups, and every two years, the top team from each group will compete in a grand final, while the remaining teams will engage in ranking playoff games.
The new structure will involve Northern Hemisphere teams playing three Southern Hemisphere opponents on away grounds during the July window.
Subsequently, the Northern Hemisphere sides will host the Southern Hemisphere teams during the November international window.
It’s important to note that these changes will not impact the British and Irish Lions tours, as the other Test nations will revert to the traditional Test series during the July window.
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“Pool of death” – England and Wales handed nightmare groups in revised Rugby World Cup draw
The latest World Rugby Rankings reaffirm home how ridiculous the Pool Draw for the Rugby World Cup 2023 is.
Decided THREE years before the tournament, the pools for the tournament that starts in September seems extremely unbalanced.
World Rugby has already confirmed they will hold the pool draws for future Rugby World Cups at a later date, closer to the kick-off of upcoming tournaments.
This comes after criticism that the draws were taking place far too early, with world rankings at the time of the draw playing a crucial role in the teams’ seedings.
World Rugby will shake the pool draw up ahead of 2027, according to a report by the Mirror.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England and Wales handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
