Sanzaar, the governing body for Southern Hemisphere rugby, has confirmed that the Rugby Championship will not be shifting from its traditional August-September window. While many argue that rugby needs a global calendar that is better aligned, making this happen is difficult. New Zealand Rugby was prepared to move the Rugby Championship to an early March date but was not prepared to shift it to an early February start, and the Six Nations would only shift one week from their February-March window. Sanzaar agreed to the status quo at a meeting in Paris in May.
Sanzaar contradicted its own chairman, Hamish McLennan, who had previously told a NZME podcast that the Rugby Championship could move back but was being held up by New Zealand Rugby’s intransigence. Sanzaar apologised for any confusion in a statement that showed little hesitation in throwing McLennan under the bus. Sanzaar partners with several other governing bodies, and McLennan’s comments could have made Sanzaar’s credibility appear to be at stake. While McLennan’s freewheeling, shoot-from-the-hip style of communication can be effective, dealing with different governing bodies and stakeholders requires a more careful touch.
While some believe that rugby needs to fix the global calendar, the current calendar is not intolerably broken. The game’s global powerbrokers are pushing forward with plans for the Nations Championship and World Club Championship, even though the latter will take the form of a limited tournament in 2026 before full implementation in 2028. Negotiations are slow and painstaking, and every stakeholder involved must rein in their instincts to get the bigger project off the ground.
While McLennan may have been trying to make a point against New Zealand Rugby, there are far bigger fish to fry in the world of rugby. The Nations Championship and World Club Championship are more significant goals for the rugby community. Rugby is a global game, and getting different governing bodies and stakeholders on board requires careful negotiation. While everyone may not agree on the timing, changes to the global calendar should ultimately benefit rugby fans worldwide.
