New Zealand controversially block bold Rugby Championship shift as Australia tables Six Nations alignment – report
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi with All Blacks star Ardie Savea and an inset of Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh.
There is an appetite to move the Rugby Championship to the same international window as the Six Nations, but New Zealand are holding out, according to reports.
This comes just weeks after the SANZAAR board unanimously agreed to shift to a tours format for 2028, but Rugby Australia boss CEO Phil Waugh has had a change of heart.
Next year, the Rugby Championship will be shelved as the All Blacks will tour South Africa, dubbed the ‘Greatest Rugby Rivalry’, and was set to resume in an abbreviated format ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Change of heart
According to a report by Roar Sport, Waugh is leading the charge for the resumption of a full Rugby Championship from 2028, despite the nations signing off on a tour format.
This would result in the proposed three-Test Bledisloe Cup tour being binned for the return of a full TRC tournament, with the U-turn occurring because of the competitiveness of this year’s tournament.
The report adds that there is set to be a full Rugby Championship before the 2027 World Cup, unlike in 2019 and 2023, with the SANZAAR nations strongly considering moving the tournament to earlier in the year to align with the Six Nations.
This would be a significant step in achieving a global calendar, but according to respected South African journalist, Brenden Nel, New Zealand are blocking this move.
In a retweet of Roar’s report, Nel wrote: “This can only be a good thing. A move to Feb would complete a global season and give players in SA a proper off season and have boks available for first part of URC. As I understand it, NZ are the only holdouts globally for this to happen now.”
There is a caveat, however, with the New Zealand Rugby board undergoing a significant change recently, with Chief Executive Officer Mark Robinson resigning from his position and stepping down at the end of the year.
A fact Christy Doran, who reports Australia’s change of heart, pointed out to Nel in his reply on X, “I can’t speak for the next NZR board, but think there’s a willingness from all parties,” he wrote.
Moving the Rugby Championship could have a knock-on effect on Super Rugby Pacific, as the competition may well move to later in the year or pause for the international window like the northern hemisphere competitions do for the Six Nations.
It would also open up the prospect of a highly requested Bledisloe Cup fixture during the ANZAC weekend.
As Nel alluded, the move would suit the Springboks for the most part with the South African clubs featuring in the United Rugby Championship, which pauses for the Six Nations. However, it could create an issue with the players plying their trade with Japanese clubs, with that tournament played during the international window.
Many of Argentina’s players represent URC, Top 14 and PREM Rugby clubs, meaning the move to the Six Nations window would suit them for the most part too.