New Rugby World Championship

feargale

A very simple suggestion : An annual match between the European Champions ( why do we call it the Six Nations? ) and the Southern Hemisphere Champions, to decide the Championship of the World. Think of the neutral venues in developing countries that would guarantee a sell out attendance : Tokyo, Los Angeles, Moscow, Vancouver, Montevideo, Suva, maybe even Rome and Buenos Aires before Argentina and Italy look set to win their way to the final.
This might or might not be played in World Cup years.
That would resolve the issue of the Southern championship winners' pretensions to thereby calling themselves Champions of the World.

seanm92

Why? It would only serve to devalue the World Cup IMO, sure there could be something to be said for bringing games to developing rugby countries but I would be totally against this idea.

yosser hughes

It would prefer to see a club world championship game. Heineken Cup Winners versus Super 15 champions

CIARAN_BOYLE

feargale wrote: »

A very simple suggestion : An annual match between the European Champions ( why do we call it the Six Nations? )

because there is no mechanism for countries outside the six nations involved to get into the six nations

feargale

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

because there is no mechanism for countries outside the six nations involved to get into the six nations

A mechanism was created to admit Italy, and France years before, and you can be sure a mechanism will appear to admit Georgia etc. when the time comes.

feargale

seanm92 wrote: »

Why? It would only serve to devalue the World Cup IMO

Do the World Athletics Championships devalue the Olympics?

JustinDee

feargale wrote: »

Do the World Athletics Championships devalue the Olympics?

WAC contains only one part of the Olympiad, the world's largest sports event. Not a valid comparison.
Also the two best sides in the world could both be from the same competition.
National teams don't play for hemispheres. They play for themselves, and no-one else.

seanm92

feargale wrote: »

Do the World Athletics Championships devalue the Olympics?

In fairness a more valid comparison would be if there was a world championship in soccer. I feel that would take away from that world cup too. There's a certain magic about the world cup, due largely to the fact that it only comes around every 4 years IMO

Podge_irl

Besides which, when do you play the game?

CIARAN_BOYLE

seanm92 wrote: »

In fairness a more valid comparison would be if there was a world championship in soccer. I feel that would take away from that world cup too. There's a certain magic about the world cup, due largely to the fact that it only comes around every 4 years IMO

sounds similar enough to the confederations cup in soccer tbh

it just gets ignored

feargale

seanm92 wrote: »

Why? It would only serve to devalue the World Cup IMO

I have more confidence in the World Cup than to believe that.

thomond2006

yosser hughes wrote: »

It would prefer to see a club world championship game. Heineken Cup Winners versus Super 15 champions

That would be my preference too.

There's enough international tests each year.

feargale

JustinDee wrote: »

National teams don't play for hemispheres. They play for themselves, and no-one else.

I fail to see the point. Kilkenny don't play for Leinster. They play for themselves.

feargale

JustinDee wrote: »

Also the two best sides in the world could both be from the same competition.

It's a frequent occurrence in sport that the two best sides don't meet in the final.

feargale

No offence intended, but Rugby folk tend to be afflicted by a very conservative attitude to the game, especially in the Home Countries. When the World Cup was first mooted, it was resisted tooth and nail by a majority of the home unions. This idea might get a better reception in France and the Southern Hemisphere.

Swiwi

yosser hughes wrote: »

It would prefer to see a club world championship game. Heineken Cup Winners versus Super 15 champions

Yeah, I go with this. Would have no interest really in seeing 6N winner v 4N winner, as has been already pointed out countries play for themselves not for their hemisphere. I think this might have been looked out, but trying to squeeze another game into an already busy season probably put the kibosh on it. Likewise a briefly floated idea of a 3N "Lions"-type team never really took off, and I agree with that too, I dont really think a 3N team would gel that well together.

Irlandczyk

thomond2006 wrote: »

That would be my preference too.

There's enough international tests each year.

Hasn't this idea been around for a fair few years now? It'd be something I'd really love to see but it seems working something into the already packed Rugby calendar would be a very difficult ask. Is there a realistic chance of this being put into action?

Swiwi

feargale wrote: »

A very simple suggestion : An annual match between the European Champions ( why do we call it the Six Nations? ) and the Southern Hemisphere Champions, to decide the Championship of the World. Think of the neutral venues in developing countries that would guarantee a sell out attendance : Tokyo, Los Angeles, Moscow, Vancouver, Montevideo, Suva, maybe even Rome and Buenos Aires before Argentina and Italy look set to win their way to the final.
This might or might not be played in World Cup years.
That would resolve the issue of the Southern championship winners' pretensions to thereby calling themselves Champions of the World.

Dont ever recall that statement before. Often enough a team from the SH is top of the pops, but that is thru consistent success, not a self-declaration of superiority.

Swiwi

feargale wrote: »

No offence intended, but Rugby folk tend to be afflicted by a very conservative attitude to the game, especially in the Home Countries. When the World Cup was first mooted, it was resisted tooth and nail by a majority of the home unions. This idea might get a better reception in France and the Southern Hemisphere.

There is truth in that, alright. But I don't really think there would be much enthusiasm for a NH v SH game, NZ is just delighted that proper 3 match tours are back on the agenda (such as Irelands tour last year), although still need midweek games to return. Ireland V Taranaki, Southland etc.

JustinDee

Swiwi wrote: »

Yeah, I go with this. Would have no interest really in seeing 6N winner v 4N winner, as has been already pointed out countries play for themselves not for their hemisphere. I think this might have been looked out, but trying to squeeze another game into an already busy season probably put the kibosh on it. Likewise a briefly floated idea of a 3N "Lions"-type team never really took off, and I agree with that too, I dont really think a 3N team would gel that well together.

A 'club/province/franchise' competition is not really that feasible either. In rugby league, there is a contest between SL and NRL champions which suffers credibility issues, given that its only in the last year or so when teams started fielding their first choice lineups. And this is in a sport where the two competitions actually take place during the same time of the year!

In union, the overlap of the two seasons already creates a tilt. This is even before anyone can find a spot during the year to stage such a game/competition.

Swiwi

Swiwi wrote: »

There is truth in that, alright. But I don't really think there would be much enthusiasm for a NH v SH game, NZ is just delighted that proper 3 match tours are back on the agenda (such as Irelands tour last year), although still need midweek games to return. Ireland V Taranaki, Southland etc.

That would be a great tour being over a wolfhounds squad as well as the first team i

feargale

seanm92 wrote: »

Why? It would only serve to devalue the World Cup IMO

You think it would be successful then?

feargale

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

sounds similar enough to the confederations cup in soccer tbh
it just gets ignored

Confederations Cup 2009 attendance figures : Final 52,000; Semi-finals 48,000 and 35,000; Third place match 31,000. Not bad for a competition that is played a year before the World Cup Finals, in the coming WCF host country, usually a country that is spoiled for sporting spectacle choice. Do you think Tokyo wouldn't better those figures? Do you not think the second tier countries should get an occasional big spectacle to promote the game?

feargale

Swiwi wrote: »

Dont ever recall that statement before. Often enough a team from the SH is top of the pops, but that is thru consistent success, not a self-declaration of superiority.

Did I misread a report or is my memory playing tricks on me? Haven't the SH countries decided to call their 4 nation competition the World Championship, or words to that effect?

JustinDee

feargale wrote: »

Did I misread a report or is my memory playing tricks on me? Haven't the SH countries decided to call their 4 nation competition the World Championship, or words to that effect?

Its called the 'Rugby Championship' and holds no equivalent delusions such as the Heineken Cup being a pan-European competition.

feargale

JustinDee wrote: »

In union, the overlap of the two seasons already creates a tilt.

Yet the tours overcome this problem.

JustinDee wrote: »

This is even before anyone can find a spot during the year to stage such a game/competition.

One game once a year?

Irlandczyk

feargale wrote: »

One game once a year?

Those poor rugby players need a holiday too, you know! The rugby calendar is packed!

Podge_irl

feargale wrote: »

One game once a year?

When though? After the 6N or after the RC? After the RC is in the middle of the off-season up here and after the 6N is not feasible thanks to the calander. Players can't be off playing an international with the domestic seasons reaching play-off time.

feargale

Podge_irl wrote: »

When though? After the 6N or after the RC?

Sorry, I had to pause for thought. At first I thought "after the RC" meant after the Papal Election My answer is : at the same time as the tours.

tolosenc

Swiwi wrote: »

Likewise a briefly floated idea of a 3N "Lions"-type team never really took off, and I agree with that too, I dont really think a 3N team would gel that well together.

Dunno. Wouldn't mind a 6N All-Stars vs. 4N All-Stars (or Northern vs. Southern in general so we could have Gorgodze).

irishbucsfan

The summer tours are already devalued by the number of injuries the NH teams ship in the buildup.

Plus the return to 3-game tours is a far better use of the time slot.