The Rugby Championship will not shift from its August-September window moving forward, despite SANZAAR and Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan indicating it was only New Zealand standing in the way of a shift to align with the Six Nations window.
SANZAAR issued a statement on Thursday after McLennan had appeared on the Rugby Direct podcast on which he had discussed a range of issues that included the future of The Rugby Championship.
World Rugby and its member unions have long desired greater alignment across a global rugby calendar, which would assist players from South Africa and Argentina, in particular, who have almost no offseason because they are involved in the northern hemisphere club season and southern hemisphere’s Test calendar.
McLennan indicated Australia was supportive of the move to shift the Rugby Championship to a March-April timeframe, which would have meant Super Rugby, for which Rugby Australia is linked with New Zealand Rugby, would have to start later in the year.
“I worry South Africa will migrate north completely. That would be a disaster for NZR and RA,” McLennan told Rugby Direct.
“Ultimately it’s going to come down to New Zealand in this instance. We understand the complexities around shifting the provincial competitions. It’s not ideal for us, either, but if it keeps the whole ecosystem together and we build assets globally then we’re open to it.
“It’s going to land on NZR’s doorstep, and they’ve got to decide what they’re going to do.”
SANZAAR, however, was quick to correct McLennan’s remarks on Thursday, confirming there would be no change to the Rugby Championship’s calendar in the foreseeable future.
“SANZAAR would like to clear up any misunderstanding surrounding the future playing window for The Rugby Championship. This follows an interview with Rugby Australia and current SANZAAR Chairman Hamish McLennan on a New Zealand podcast “Rugby Direct” in which he discussed The Rugby Championship schedule.
“SANZAAR can reiterate that until 2026 the existing mini-tour match schedule is locked in. Furthermore, The Rugby Championship window will not change from 2026 with the national unions working on competition models for the August/September window to ensure maximum high performance and commercial outcomes.
“SANZAAR is part of World Rugby’s working programme that is exploring the potential creation of a global calendar, and review of playing windows, as part of the Games’ work on the wider Regulation 9 (player availability) review. The SANZAAR Executive Committee has agreed The Rugby Championship has to fit into the existing sanctioned World Rugby playing windows for international rugby matches.
“SANZAAR apologises for any confusion on The Rugby Championship playing schedule.”
The SANZAAR alliance has been tested in recent years, stemming back to NZR’s decision to go it alone in Super Rugby and in the process effectively banish South Africa and Argentina from the tournament at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Africa Rugby Union had long beforehand been linked with a move to the northern hemisphere for its club teams – a shift that has now been completed with the Sharks, Lions, Bulls and Stormers engaged in the United Rugby Championship and European Champions and Challenge Cup competitions – while various reports have at time also linked the Springboks with a switch to the Six Nations.
SANZAAR then staged a Tri Nations in 2020 without the Springboks, who had withdrawn from the Rugby Championship, before they returned to competition a year later in a tournament that was almost entirely contested in Australia to deal with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, McLennan has shared an at times difficult relationship with NZR, previously threatening to cut and run from Super Rugby Pacific, while stakeholders across New Zealand believe he is responsible for the delayal of an agreed Super Rugby Pacific commission that would govern the competition independently.
But McLennan rejected those claims on the Rugby Direct podcast, insisting the commission would be set up within “one to two months.”
The RA chairman’s latest remarks are sure to inflame tensions at SANZAAR, however, ahead this year’s truncated Rugby Championship, which is poised to kick off in Pretoria on July 8 when the Springboks host the Wallabies and the Pumas welcome the All Blacks to Mendoza.