A breakaway rugby franchise competition could be set to be launched as organisers attempt to revolutionise the sport.
Reports in The Times, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail suggest that a number of top players have signed up for a proposed 14-week event that could begin in 2026.
Taking inspiration from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Formula 1 and LIV Golf, organisers supposedly have financial backing for an attempt to reset the club game, with both men’s and women’s teams featuring.
The resources required to attract top players out of their lucrative club and country contracts would be significant, while gaining approval from World Rugby and unions would also be a likely stumbling block.
Recent reporting in South Africa suggests that some players in the country have been offered deals in the region of $900,000 (£708,000), with festival-style events in major global cities suggested.
The Independent understands that discussions are at a very early stage, with lots of conversations being had but nothing yet finalised.
The proposals come at a time of much upheaval and uncertainty for global rugby. Clubs and some unions around the world are struggling financially, while player welfare is an ongoing concern as seasons are stretched and workloads increased.
The Six Nations and Sanzaar are in the final stages of finalising details for the “Nations Cup”, which is set to launch in 2026 and feature the world’s top 12 international teams. The inaugural finals are set to be held in London, with executives hoping to offer television rights to broadcasters by the end of this year or early in 2025.
This proposed breakaway is not the first mooted revolutionary venture of recent years: in 2021, the World 12s was unveiled to much fanfare only to fail to progress after World Rugby refused to sanction the competition.
World Rugby elected a new chair in Brett Robinson on Thursday, with the Australian vowing to grow the game globally.
“Our purpose as an organisation is to grow this great game of ours globally,” Robinson said. “(World rugby chief executive) Alan (Gilpin) and the team have worked really hard on that over many, many years.
“And that is through being courageous enough to make decisions about where we do and don’t invest our efforts to maximize the opportunity for growth - whether that be into markets itself, whether it be into the women’s game, whether it be into the (Rugby) Sevens product.
“It is at the heart of the investment we make as a game - and we are unashamedly here to support the growth of our game.”
“Ultimately, World Rugby invests heavily in supporting unions that may not have the infrastructure that major unions do.
“Whether that be through our rugby services team, through training and education, through match official development or through non-contact forms of the game or support around the women’s game.
“World Rugby is there to support emerging nations with core rugby infrastructure, so I think there is a tremendous commitment to that.”
