By Nick Said
A new rugby competition between tier one nations from the northern and southern hemisphere will be played every alternate year from 2026 to add a competitive edge to the July and November international windows, officials confirmed on Saturday.
A ‘World League’ has been mooted for some time to try and extract more revenue from the international windows and bring “context” to what have been friendly fixtures played traditionally in the southern hemisphere in July and in the north in November.
A ‘World League’ will add a competitive edge to the July and November international windows.Credit: Getty
Although no format has been confirmed by organisers for the new competition, reports suggest Six Nations sides England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales will be in one pool, and teams that make up the Rugby Championship – Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa – will be in the other along with two invited guests, one of which is likely to be Japan.
Teams from the north would travel south for three tests in July and then host three more games in November.
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The Six Nations will remain in its current February-March position on the calendar and the Rugby Championship will still be played in
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