Rugby Targets International Revolution
SANZAAR and SIX Nations Rugby are working together to bring to life a new international rugby competition that will be played in the existing July and November test windows.
The new 12-team competition will take place in alternate years, outside of the British & Irish Lions tours and the quadrennial Rugby World Cup and feature the four teams in SANZAAR’s Rugby Championship – Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – as well as the Six Nations sides – England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
The proposed inaugural competition will be played out in 2026
The July and November test series are currently ‘friendly games’ with Northern Hemisphere sides often facing Southern Hemisphere sides. The creation of the new competition has been a collective process from the sport, including World Rugby, Unions, key leagues, competitions, and crucially, the International Rugby Players.
There have also been two spaces reserved for invitational unions to join the SANZAAR teams. A transparent selection process will be managed by SANZAAR, supported by World Rugby and the International Rugby Players, to determine these two invitational unions.
To strengthen the development pathway for emerging nations, World Rugby will also create a second-tier competition that will feature teams from Europe and the rest of the world, with SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby actively involved in cementing the link between the two divisions.
Establishing the two competitions will pave the way for promotion and relegation matches, contributing towards a pathway for teams, with the aim of ‘supporting ambitions to sustaining and grow the global game.’
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