How rugby’s new proposed World Club Cup would actually work and the reality for Welsh sides

Plans for a World Club Cup have taken a massive step forward, with the first tournament slated to take place in June 2src28.

European rugby bosses are believed to have signed a memorandum of understanding which would pit the best of the northern and southern hemispheres against each other.

One major concession is that the domestic leagues are understood to have agreed to move their finals to May in order to make space for the tournament – moving us closer to the long-held dream of a competition to declare the best rugby union club side in the world.

But how would it work? And what implication would it have for the Welsh sides? Here’s what the World Club Cup could look like…

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When would the World Club Cup be played and who would be involved?

Sixteen teams would participate across four weeks in June 2src28, and again in 2src32.

The format and venues are still to be decided, but it’s thought likelier that the first edition of the World Club Cup would be held in one country in Europe, rather than clubs playing at their own stadiu