Latest news with #RugbyWorldClubCup
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Bernard Jackman conflicted about Rugby World Club Cup
Bernard Jackman says he has conflicted feelings over the new Rugby World Club Cup, which is set to take place in for the first time 2028. Last week, EPCR confirmed that the respective leagues and unions had voted in favour of the tournament, which will take place once every four years. To accommodate the summer tournament, there will be no Champions Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals or final in the year of each World Club Cup. Instead, the eight 'quarter-finalists' will advance to the World Club Cup, with the rest of the 16-team competition drawn from Super Rugby and Japan. It will mean that once every four years there will be no official Champions Cup final, something Jackman believes is dangerous for the furturre of an already struggling competition. "I actually think it devalues the Champions Cup, because you're not going to have a winner every four years. It's a different competition," he said on the RTÉ Rugby podcast. The current format of the Champions Cup has been much maligned since it was introduced in 2020, with the current pool format eliminating just eight of the 24 teams involved. And Jackman believes the EPCR may be better off putting their efforts into restoring the Champions Cup to its former glory, before looking to expand it globally. "I think the best solution is to try and focus on how you can actually get the Champions Cup back to having more games that are ultra important. "The knockout stage of the Champions Cup, we've seen some brilliant rugby but in the group stages it's been too lenient. You're not getting that jeopardy, that must-win mindset that I think we all loved about the old format. "I would have been happy with the winners of the Champions Cup playing the winners of Super Rugby in a one-off game, or over two legs. For me that would have been a fitting World Cup." The former Ireland international conceded that he sees the logic behind the tournament, which will pit the best of the Top14, Premiership and URC against some of New Zealand and Australia's biggest clubs. And while he has reservations around how it will eventually look, he recognises how the game's current financial situation may have dictated the decision. "I also have to say the game is struggling to bring new fans, to bring revenue, so I don't want to be too critical of people who are trying to do something different. But my gut on this is that we had a very good competition and the tinkering with it has devalued it to a certain extent, and that's where the issue is. "It's going to be nice to see a Munster or an Ulster or Leinster play the Chiefs. I am interested in that. "Then you're going to have the issue of how many of those teams or how many of the Champions Cup teams will believe they can win it, and if it's a competition worth winning and are we going to see half-arsed games. "That's also a worry for me at the moment, without that absolute clarity around what the value of winning it or getting to the final. "Will it make the group stage for the European Cup that year even more farcical, where teams don't want to go and play an away leg in Australia? "They're the questions in my mind, and until I see exact details around what that looks like, post qualification for that, I'm going to hold my opinion."
IOL News
7 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Club World Cup: A gimmick, or true test for rugby's best?
Bordeaux Rugby Bordeaux Begles players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Champions Cup final against the Northampton Saints. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Ruck&Maul Column The journey to a possible rugby version of the Club World Cup got off to a shaky start last week. The Telegraph newspaper in London, who has previously reported on the progress of such a tournament, wrote last Friday that a 16-team event was set to be held at the end of the 2027-28 season. Those developments came out of talks in Cardiff ahead of the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals in Cardiff last weekend. Then the organisers, the EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby), sent out a belated media statement on Saturday, with the headline: 'EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay confirms Rugby World Club Cup to launch in 2028, with support from all unions and both hemispheres.' McKay went on to add that the EPCR have been speaking about a Club World Cup for the last two to three years, and that everyone was 'unanimous' about the new competition. It is envisaged that the tournament would include eight teams from the Champions Cup, and eight from across Super Rugby Pacific and Japanese club rugby. SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer then told Afrikaans newspaper Rapport that while he does support the venture, the 'announcement is somewhat premature' as there was a lot of details missing, and that the financials must be sorted out, and that 'no broadcasting rights or sponsorships have been sold' as yet. At the moment, I am not convinced. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The idea of a Club World Cup is romantic, and we all wanted to see whether the Crusaders or the top club in Japan – the Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo won the league last season, and will face Malcolm Marx's Kubota Spears in Sunday's final – could knock over European giants like Toulouse, Leinster, La Rochelle and now Bordeaux. But that was when Super Rugby was still a revered tournament, and the South African franchises were also involved. Now that the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions are up north, that cross-hemisphere appetite for a Club World Cup is not quite the same. The Australian teams have battled to stay competitive in Super Rugby Pacific, while the addition of Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua hasn't made a significant difference to the quality of the rugby being played. The standard has dropped so much that even the Blues won the competition last year! But, to be honest, is the Club World Cup a gimmick, or a true test to prove which team can be regarded as the best in the world? Firstly, the name mentioned in the EPCR press release – Rugby World Club Cup – doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, as it sounds clumsy and unwieldy. Then, it is mooted to take place every four years, starting in 2028. Is that the right way to go? I'm not so sure. With club squads changing almost every year and the dynamics and demands of the Champions Cup in particular, having it only every four years reduces the gravitas of the event somewhat. Perhaps every two years would be a better solution, if every year is not possible? The EPCR may also have inadvertently shot down this new idea in their press release when they wrote 'We believe the fans of the future want to see the greatest clubs come together. They already have that in Europe and South Africa for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, so we want to broaden the family a bit further'. We all know that the Champions Cup is the best club rugby competition in the world, so what is the point of a Club World Cup then? As the youngsters say on social media, 'it's giving' Fifa Club World Cup, which does not come close to being held in the same high esteem as the Uefa Champions League. The South African teams haven't even properly prioritised the Champions Cup up to now, so even thinking of another tournament is a bit much. The EPCR also mentioned that the Club World Cup 'promises to be absolutely box office'. But can you see a Bordeaux versus Crusaders clash coming close to last weekend's titanic Bordeaux-Northampton Champions Cup final in any respect?
The Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
'Box office' World Club Cup will pit Super Rugby against the best teams from the north
The long-running debate as to whether Super Rugby is stronger than the United Rugby Championship (URC) or the English and French leagues will finally be decided on the field, with the exciting announcement of a World Club Cup. The four-yearly event will kick off in 2028 and will be run by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the organisers of the URC and the Champions and Challenge Cups. In Cardiff at the weekend, where the Champions and Challenge Cup finals were won by Bordeaux and Bath respectively, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay confirmed that the Rugby World Club Cup has been signed off by all unions and both hemispheres. McKay said, 'It promises to be box office.' Sixteen teams will qualify – eight from the Champions Cup, seven from Super Rugby, and one from Japan. The tournament, which will feature the world's very best clubs and superstar players, will launch in June 2028, elevating the Champions Cup knock-out rounds to the Rugby World Club Cup and supercharging the closing stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup. 'To elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this World Club Cup in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the South,' McKay explained. 'We have these incredible competitions that we own and operate, and we want to find a way to elevate them further and bring in teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan – and we'll do that through the World Club Cup. 'So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we're going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere – and who wouldn't want to find out who the greatest club in the world is as a consequence of that?' As McKay says, it will be box office to have the likes of the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues, Queensland Reds and the Waratahs up against teams such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Bath, Northampton, the Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers.
IOL News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
'Box office' World Club Cup will pit Super Rugby against the best teams from the north
In Cardiff at the weekend, where the Champions and Challenge Cup finals were won by Bordeaux and Bath respectively, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay confirmed that the Rugby World Club Cup has been signed off by all unions and both hemispheres. The four-yearly event will kick off in 2028 and will be run by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the organisers of the URC and the Champions and Challenge Cups. The long-running debate as to whether Super Rugby is stronger than the United Rugby Championship (URC) or the English and French leagues will finally be decided on the field, with the exciting announcement of a World Club Cup. McKay said, 'It promises to be box office.' Sixteen teams will qualify – eight from the Champions Cup, seven from Super Rugby, and one from Japan. The tournament, which will feature the world's very best clubs and superstar players, will launch in June 2028, elevating the Champions Cup knock-out rounds to the Rugby World Club Cup and supercharging the closing stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup. 'To elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this World Club Cup in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the South,' McKay explained. 'We have these incredible competitions that we own and operate, and we want to find a way to elevate them further and bring in teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan – and we'll do that through the World Club Cup. 'So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we're going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere – and who wouldn't want to find out who the greatest club in the world is as a consequence of that?' As McKay says, it will be box office to have the likes of the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues, Queensland Reds and the Waratahs up against teams such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Bath, Northampton, the Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First Rugby World Club Cup to be held in 2028
The first Rugby World Club Cup will be held in 2028 after "unanimous" agreement from the relevant leagues and unions, European Professional Club Rugby has announced. The competition will then be staged every four years with 16 teams taking part, eight qualifying through the Investec Champions Cup and the remainder from Super Rugby and Japan. EPCR chairman Dominic McKay confirmed the plans, which have been spoken about for "two or three years", were finalised in Cardiff before the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals. The Champions Cup, which was established in 1995, currently brings together teams from England, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, South Africa and Italy. That competition, along with the second-tier Challenge Cup, will continue to take place, with McKay stating the aim of the World Club Cup is to "elevate them further" while also adding that "ambitious plans" for the already established European tournaments will be revealed in the coming weeks. "The Investec Champions Cup is the greatest club competition in the world, and we're going to continue to protect that, nurture it and develop it further," McKay said. "We want to create this World Club Cup proposition in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the south [southern hemisphere]. "We have these incredible competitions that we own and operate, and we want to find a way to elevate them further and bring in teams from Australia, from New Zealand, from Japan, and we'll do that through the World Club Cup." 'They're not like us' - Saints spirit drives shot at Champions Cup glory Bath's Challenge Cup win a 'long time coming' A blue and red blur in the most purple of patches - rugby's boy king Bielle-Biarrey
