New global rugby union franchise competition in very early stage of development
A new global franchise competition that could change the rugby union landscape is in a very early stage of development, the PA news agency understands.
A league that would travel the world, akin to Formula One, is being mooted and could feature more than 200 players, with a possible launch in 2026 of men’s and women’s tournaments.
It is thought that initial funding has been provided by an American backer, but the whole project is currently in a concept stage and no further on than that.
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England full-back Freddie Steward, speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash with South Africa, revealed he had no knowledge of the competition.
“This is the first I’ve heard about it. It’s news to me. I haven’t got the brain capacity to think about it – I’ve got a Test match in two days,” Steward said.
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Concept idea from someone un-named that an international player knows nothing about! Those in developing rugby nations need to develop their sport organically, building up to strong national teams with rivalries against neighbouring countries. We’ve worked on this over 3 different centuries so why should players we develop just be plundered by places where rugby will be nothing more than a novelty travelling circus. Small time sugar daddies and their stand alone clubs have failed even in countries where the sport is established, so rugby needs to get back to play more of the reason it became a world sport… Read more »
Someone is after TV rights to load a piggy bank.