Irb Unveils New 10-year Tour Schedule
The International Rugby Board has unveiled a new 10-year playing calendar that brings back traditional end of season tours from 2012.
From 2012, northern hemisphere sides will go south for tours featuring two or three Tests against the same team, plus mid-week games, every June.
The governing body hopes that the set roster will persuade teams to take the games seriously by fielding their best players.
International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset has hailed the plan as an ‘historic landmark’ for the game: ‘It adds value to the June window, provides the catalyst for the growth of our sport and is acceptable to all the game’s major stakeholders,’ he said.
The agenda is mainly aimed at the Six Nations teams – England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy – and the southern hemisphere giants, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, plus Argentina, who are set to join the Tri-Nations in 2012.
However, The IRB also outlined a commitment to develop second-tier nations, with return tours planned to the Pacific Islands, North America and 2019 World Cup hosts Japan.
