British and Irish ?super league? plan discussed ? and could include South Africa and Italy
Exclusive: The competition could be created within the next three years as executives attempt to fight against the current financial climate
By Gavin Mairs, Chief Rugby Union Correspondent, in Paris 18 October 2023 ? 6:54pm
Talks to establish a British and Irish ?super league? that would also include clubs from South Africa and Italy have taken place between executives from the home unions and the leagues, Telegraph Sport can reveal.
It is understood that initial discussions have already taken place at the World Cup and the catalyst is a shared sense to capture and recreate the atmosphere, colour, and drama of the tournament in France by exploring what would be the most radical overhaul of the club game since the sport turned professional in 1995.
It is understood there are also moves for greater collaboration between the URC, Premiership Rugby, the Six Nations and British and Irish Lions to pool back-room resources to dramatically reduce the costs of running the competitions and increase shared revenues and attractiveness to investors by centralising resources.
?There?s an energy to create a better future for the club game,? said one leading executive at the World Cup.
?We?re all flatlining, surviving, and making ends meet, whereas if you?re really serious about growing the game, we need to look at what formats are open to us and what would it take to be brave enough to step into that new world??
One of the previous sticking points to the concept of uniting the English Premiership and the URC ? which features teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and more recently South Africa ? has been the detrimental impact it would have on the European Champions Cup.
However, one solution has been put forward for an ?FA Cup-style? knock-out competition involving clubs from the French Top 14 to ensure it retains its point of difference within a revised European domestic structure.
Further talks are set to resume following the World Cup next month, which are expected to dive deeper into the detail of how a new league would be structured, with the aim of establishing a new competition within the next three years, to coincide with the introduction of a ?world club championship?.
?For the first time it seems that Premiership Rugby, who had previously said ?no, no, no? to any such talks are open to the idea of looking at a way of creating a kind of super league,? added another source close to the talks.
The Premiership currently consists of 10 clubs following the financial demise of Worcester, Wasps and London Irish last season, while the URC has 16 clubs. The next stage of the negotiations is to look at how integration of the two leagues would work.
?It is complicated, but one proposal would be for two leagues based on merit, and promotion and relegation between the two, or two conferences ? a Premiership and URC one, to qualify for knockout stages,? said another source close to the talks.
?Currently it is quite difficult for one broadcaster to invest in three or four competitions,? said one leading executive at the World Cup. ?Whereas if you form a British and Irish league, it makes the conversations with broadcasters much easier. You could have one rugby channel that increases the value of the broadcasting deal and clubs could grow their attendances. There is validity in it.?
The Six Nations already aggregate their broadcasting and commercial revenues as part of a deal known as ?Project Light? and there is an expectation that a similar arrangement would bolster club finances.
Underpinning the desire for change is also to create more invigorating and attractive domestic club fixtures, including reviving the historically great Anglo-Welsh clashes, as a solution to the challenging financial climate.
?When you get it right, like at this World Cup where you are getting very good teams playing against very good teams and great jeopardy, we should not have to wait four years for that to happen,? a source added.
?Every year there should be unbelievable games. In fairness the European final this year was incredible, but we need to get more moments like that.
?This is a leadership issue thing as well. We are seeing executives who are no longer the traditional ?blazers? but more forward-thinking people who are trying to really grow the game but also in some respects, bring back some of the great stuff we?ve lost: the great derbies and rivalries of yesteryear.?
The prospect of an Anglo-Welsh league was first tabled in Jan 1999, when the Welsh Rugby Union were offered five places for Welsh clubs in the English league system. The offer was turned down, however, with the WRU instead forging ahead with a link with Scotland and Ireland to establish the Celtic League, which evolved into the Pro 12 and now the URC.
An Anglo-Welsh Cup was established in 2005, involving 12 Premiership and four Welsh clubs, as a knockout tournament but was replaced by the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2018.
Revelations about talks over new domestic league structure come just a week before the World Rugby council is due to sign off a new ?Nations Championship? tournament involving teams from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship, set to start in 2026, which will be held every two years to avoid clashes with the World Cup and Lions tours.
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