Another trophy to play for.
Irish fans have another competition to look forward to as international rugby is set for the one of the biggest changes in modern history with the introduction of a 12-team World League.
After several months of discussions, the top teams in world rugby have reportedly agreed on a new World League which will be worth in excess of €9 million per season for the teams involved after a yet-to-be-named broadcaster came up with an offer.
The NZ Herald reports that organisers are hoping to get the deal signed off before the Six Nations and Rugby Championship renegotiate their current broadcast deals.
With the United States and Japan set to join the Rugby Championship, the proposed World League will feature the teams involved in the Six Nations as well as the remaining Rugby Championship sides – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
The new format, which is targeted for release by 2020, will see each of the 12 teams play one another once every year, with a semi-final between the top four teams in the table and final to take place in either late November or early December.
The plan is to have each of the Six Nations travel to the Southern Hemisphere for three randomly allocated tests each in the summer.
So, essentially, Ireland would play three teams down south in July and then welcome the three Southern Hemisphere teams they didn’t play in the summer to the Northern Hemisphere in November.
Some massive stadiums have been named as potential venues for the semi-finals and final, with Barcelona’s Nou Camp and Chicago’s Soldier Field suggested in the radical proposal.
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