World Rugby draws up Nations’ models

World Rugby has drawn up to four models for a proposed Nations Championship to begin after the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

The Nations Championship – strongly backed by New Zealand Rugby – was first floated in 2019, but fell by the wayside when unanimous agreement couldn’t be found on the format.

However, the Sunday Star-Times can reveal that World Rugby has not given up on the idea of giving more ‘‘meaning’’ – and value – to the test program, and the game’s stakeholders are set for key talks next month after a range of different formats were put out for discussion.

‘‘We’re currently talking about the restructuring of championship, the global comp, with option 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B,’’ Pacific Rugby Players chairman Hale T-Pole confirmed.

‘‘It could be a 12-country comp, or eight-eight, the top eight from the southern hemisphere and top eight from the north.

‘‘Then you’ve got a top fourtop four, with an eight-team Tier 2 competition, or whatever they are going to call it. So we’re currently in discussions with World Rugby from an International Rugby Players’ perspective and all our members. I think November will be exciting times for these discussions.

‘‘I’m just like, ‘let us play some games, man, we need more games’.’’

World Rugby was clear in its initial vision for the Nations Championship that elevating the so-called Tier 2 nations such as Samoa, Fiji, Japan and Tonga was a key part of the strategy, seeing it as ‘‘a first-ever pathway for emerging unions to compete at the top table of annual competitions’’.

Among the Pacific Islands players who T-Pole represents, that hunger is greater than ever, particularly after a throwntogether Tonga side was humiliated 102-0 by the All Blacks in July.

T-Pole confirmed that a ‘Pacific Rim’ competition was also under discussion.

‘‘It’s been tabled in the conversation.

‘‘As you know, the more games the better it will be for the islands.’’

‘‘I think November will be exciting times for these discussions.’’ Pacific Rugby Players chairman Hale T-Pole