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Laporte outlines plan to replace Champions Cup with a new Club World Cup

Laporte has won the Champions Cup with Toulon.

French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte wants to introduce a new Club World Cup tournament to replace the Champions Cup, claiming the showpiece European competition is not generating enough income.

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Laporte, who is hoping to be elected World Rugby vice-chairman next month, says he has already held discussions about the proposed new tournament with World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont.

His Club World Cup idea would see 20 teams from the northern and southern hemispheres compete in a new six-week tournament.

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The tournament, which would include teams from the English Premiership, the French Top14, the Pro14 and Super Rugby, would run every year except World Cup years, and would also include one team each from the United States and Japan.

Laporte told French newspaper Midi Olympique that the introduction of a Club World Cup would help recover some of the losses incurred by the current Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought the global rugby calendar to a standstill.

“This crisis must push us to be innovative. Let’s make this new competition, I’m sure that the public, partners and televisions will follow,” Laporte said.

“I’ve been working with Bill Beaumont on the restructuring of the international calendar in order to standardise the windows reserved for national teams. And, in fact, create a new window dedicated to clubs, which would allow the creation of a new international competition: the Club World Cup.”

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The structure of the tournament would see the 20 teams divided into four groups of five, before qualifying for quarter-finals, semi-finals and a grand final.

The make-up of the Club World Cup would include four teams from the Top 14, four from the Premiership, four from the Pro14, six from Super Rugby, as well as the league champions from the United States and Japan.

The Club World Cup would take place across June and July, allowing the remaining northern and southern hemisphere fixtures to be played out as normal later in the year.

“The European competition is magnificent,” Laporte said.

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“With Toulon I was able to lift the trophy three times (as head coach) and I know what it can represent. But let’s be frank, it doesn’t generate enough income. If we want to develop this Club World Cup, we have to find dates. Without the Champions Cup, nine weekends are available.”

Watch: Episode 2 of Investec Super Rugby Isolation Nation.

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J
Jfp123 44 minutes ago
New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

All I know about NZ is what I’ve gathered from online blogs and posts, and I don’t suppose they’re entirely representative. What you say sounds fair enough. I would be interested to know how the sums add up for this tour and the last Ireland one though, if the figures are available.


Of course, personally, as a French fan, I’m firmly convinced Antoine Dupont is the GOAT, and the team as a whole are heroes, and if Antoine and Romain are fit, France A are world beaters.

I fully expect Kiwis and Saffas to hold a completely different view and to back their boys up to the hilt. Would they be fans if they didn’t! They may say whatever they like about past WCs, playing on SH soil and so on, as for the future, it’s up to their teams to back them up!


As far as “top dog international is best”, of course I enjoy it. But I’d rather keep the fantastic Top14 entertaining me almost year round and have a bit less tdi, than have theTop14 damaged for the sake of two or three games more of tdi gone in a flash. There’s always the WC, and soon there’ll be the world club cup, which as a supporter of Stade Toulousain, the greatest club in the world, of course!! I find an interesting prospect.

As NZ don’t reap the benefits of the Top14 it seems only natural they shouldn’t care so much about it, but perhaps the club WC will spark more a little more interest in foreign club opposition.

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