Moves are afoot for the Springboks and All Blacks to do combat in a roster similar to the one in use for British & Irish Lions tours.
Though details are still to be thrashed out, they will likely face off in a three-Test series, while five of the matches will be played against local franchises. The tours will alternate between the two countries. When the new series kicks off is yet to be determined.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander told the Sunday Times that talks have started with their New Zealand counterparts on the proposed series.
“We are still working with New Zealand on possibly launching something exciting that we will announce in the next couple of months. We will be able to get more international games against each other.”
Currently the Springboks and the All Blacks play each other annually in the Rugby Championship on a home and away basis, other than the years in which the Rugby World Cup is contested.
The All Blacks' last long tour here was in 1996.
Wider benefits
Introducing longer tours won’t just help the respective national coaches put more talent to the test, but matches against local sides will bring the game closer to its roots.
There are a few sticking points however. Rugby’s packed roster currently precludes the two countries from having a “Lions style” engagement but the introduction of the much mooted global season will help smooth the path.
“The windows are so small,” sighed Alexander. “If we sort out the global season we will have more weeks to play more exciting rugby and get a better product.”
World Rugby will use the Rugby World Cup as an opportunity to thrash out a new roster that will help bring uniformity to the international schedule. They are hoping to sync club competitions and the Test match roster.
“It is important for rugby that we sort out the global season. It helps us with player welfare issues. It helps us not having a cluttered programme. All the leagues and national teams will be playing at the same time.”
Elusive alignment
Aligning the different schedules however has proved a massive challenge in the past. While the national federations in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia hold sway over their major franchises, the wholly privately owned clubs in France and England have a different agenda.
“If you go into a negotiation but you keep your position then you are not going into negotiation in good faith. We all have to give something here. We never thought we’d play rugby in December, now we do. We need to give and take, otherwise no-one is a winner.
“We need to get the two other leagues (France and England) in the room and the negotiations,” said SA Rugby’s president.
There will be potential spin-offs for the domestic calendar. There is the need to stagger competitions and limit overlapping. “Currently we are playing the EPCR (Champions Cup and Challenge Cup), then URC (United Rugby Championship) and Currie Cup in between. It just creates a lot of confusion,” Alexander admitted.
“By having a global season we will sort out all those problems. It will help player welfare because we need them resting at the same time because when you have the World Cup they have to peak at the same time. That will sort out a helluva lot of problems including the release of players under Regulation 9,” said Alexander about the regulation that has often denied the Springbok coach access to his players based abroad.
Stronger SA flavour
Alexander was this week enthused by the news that local bank and wealth creator Investec will bring a stronger South African flavour to the EPRC through their headline sponsorship.
South Africa entered the EPCR competition last season and there were teething problems as they came to grips with Europe’s elite. Their introduction a year earlier into the URC however proved a stunning success on all fronts.
“Our involvement in the tournament has proved a success for URC. It has been good for us. This (Champions Cup) is the best club competition in the world. I think it will kickstart the World Club Championship.
“With us coming in here really triggered the drive to have the World Club Championship established very soon,” SA Rugby’s boss hinted regarding another major addition.
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