Reports - Plans for World League solidify

The All Blacks could face the winner of the Six Nations after an international rugby restructure, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

A meeting in Los Angeles next week will solidify plans for a proposed World Rugby League which would pit the winners of the Rugby Championship against the winner of the Six Nations to decide a world champion each year.

“World Rugby see a concept that would essentially reduce the Six Nations to the European League for a global tournament that concludes with the crowning of a world champion every year as a way of redistributing the wealth between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere countries, with the financial difficulties being endured by New Zealand, Australia and South Africa well documented,” the Daily Mail report reads.

The Daily Mail also reported that current world number two Ireland are believed to have concerns regarding the proposal.

Another area of concern is the risk that the currently free-to-air international rugby in the northern hemisphere would potentially shift to pay-per-view.

“Beyond the potential logistical nightmares, where does this leave the Rugby World Cup?. It will basically become a seven-week tournament not unlike the 52-week tournament they have every year,” an anonymous Six Nations source told the Mail.

“At the moment 90 per cent of the revenue for World Rugby comes from the World Cup, but there is clearly a desire to level the financial landscape when the southern hemisphere nations can see how successful the Six Nations is as a brand.”

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