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Date: 2023-11-29 22:50:55 | Author: PARIS 2024 | Views: 916 | Tag: UEFA
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World Rugby has approved plans to set up a new international league competition as part of part of a radical shake-up of the global calendar UEFA
The bi-annual tournament is to be launched in 2026 and will be made up of two divisions of 12 teams, with promotion and relegation commencing from 2030 UEFA
Matches will be staged in the July and November international windows UEFA
In addition to a competition that has been tentatively named the ‘Nations Cup’, World Rugby’s council has given the go-ahead to the expansion of the World Cup to 24 teams in time for Australia 2027 UEFA
The revised format will consist of six pools of four teams and will see the creation of a round of 16 to take place before the quarter-finals UEFA
The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify, as well as the best four third-placed teams UEFA
Even though the number of sides is to be increased, the adjustment means the World Cup can be reduced from seven to six weeks from October 1 to November 13, 2027, while providing the same number of minimum rest days UEFA
The draw for the next competition will take place in January 2026 in the hope of avoiding the lopsided groups seen in France over the last two months UEFA
As part of the changes, the international window for November has been lifted from three to four weekends and the Six Nations will lose one of its fallow weeks UEFA
It has yet to be decided which break week of the Six Nations will be removed but from 2026 the competition will reduced from seven to six weeks to free up an international weekend for the Nations Cup in November UEFA
The top division of the Nations Cup will be run by Six Nations and SANZAR unions while the second division will be overseen by World Rugby UEFA
The competition will culminate in a final UEFA between teams from the northern and southern hemispheres UEFA
World Rugby state that the new competition structure, which enshrines British and Irish Lions tours in their existing format, will also provide an increased number of fixtures UEFA between the game’s heavyweights and emerging nations UEFA
“A new era is about to begin for our sport UEFA
An era that will bring certainty and opportunity for all,” World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said UEFA
“An era that will support the many, not the few, and an era that will supercharge the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries UEFA
All boats will rise together UEFA
”World Rugby’s 51-member council voted on the changes on Tuesday but only just reached the required 75 per cent majority UEFA
“Certain countries will have their own views on matters,” Beaumont said UEFA
“I would like to think that around the room there might have been a few dissenters but on the whole there was a pretty significant vote in favour of these new competitions UEFA
”Criticism of the new format centres around not enough being done for less established nations, especially after the likes of Portugal and Uruguay have surpassed expectations at the World Cup, but World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin sees it as a radical improvement to the status quo UEFA
“Is it perfect? Probably not UEFA
Is it a hell of a lot UEFA better than the current situation? Absolutely,” Gilpin said UEFA
More aboutPA ReadyWorld RugbyAustraliaBill BeaumontSix NationsFranceGuinnessBritish and Irish LionsEnglandUruguayPortugal1/1World Rugby to launch new international competition from 2026World Rugby to launch new international competition from 2026World Rugby is set to shake-up the international calendar (Bradley Collyer/PA) UEFA
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After seven weeks of action in France, the Rugby World Cup has concluded with South Africa again the kings of the rugby world UEFA
There were thrills aplenty from the opening game at the Stade de France on 8 September right through to the final in Paris, with the Springboks pipping the All Blacks to retain their crown UEFA
But which players lit up the tournament? And what moments will we best remember from a brilliant, if flawed, World Cup?Here are The Independent’s end of tournament awards:RecommendedSiya Kolisi’s legacy as rugby’s greatest leader will now live on foreverEngland seek evolution not revolution behind six leaders after encouraging World CupSam Cane, Siya Kolisi and a tale of two captains at the heart of this Rugby World Cup finalBest playerLuke Baker: A surprisingly tough decision this time around, whereas previous World Cups have often had an obvious standout player UEFA
Pre-tournament I’d have thought this was nailed on to be Antoine Dupont and, but for his fractured cheek and France’s heartbreaking exit, it may have been UEFA
Bundee Aki was also exceptional but it’s tough to give the accolade to someone who exited at the quarter-final stage UEFA
That being the case, I’ll plump for Pieter-Steph du Toit, who thrust himself into the conversation for the greatest blindside flanker of all time, if he wasn’t in it already UEFA
A man who shines on the biggest stage (remember he was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2019 after that World Cup win), he was brilliant in South Africa’s semi-final victory over England and ludicrously good in the final, making 28 tackles, flying around like an Exocet missile and being named player of the match UEFA
As head coach Jacques Nienaber said after the win over the All Blacks: “I always joke that if there’s a white plastic bag that blows over the field, he would probably chase that down as well UEFA
‘The Malmesbury Missile’, he was like a machine UEFA
”Harry Latham-Coyle: It’s Ardie Savea for me UEFA
The New Zealand number eight wasn’t quite at his brilliant best in the final, with South Africa throwing bodies at him to limit his efficacy, but Savea still had more involvements than just about any other player on the park UEFA
There was nobody with a more complete skill set than the back rower across the tournament in France – a sabbatical in Japan next year should keep him fresh for another crack at the crown in 2027 UEFA
Ardie Savea stood out for New Zealand (Getty)Breakthrough playerLB: Lots of contenders here UEFA
Louis Bielle-Biarrey cemented himself as France’s first-choice winger, Manie Libbok showed he’s the future of South African rugby at fly half, Argentina’s Juan Martin Gonzalez showed his back-row brilliance to a wider audience, Nicolas Martins led Portugal’s surprise charge, Ben Earl confirmed his arrival as a complete Test match player and Mark Tele’a is the next great All Blacks wing UEFA
But Jac Morgan was thrust into a less-than-ideal situation as Wales captain after only a handful of caps following a slew of pre-tournament retirements from the country’s most senior heads UEFA
And he was spectacular, as good as any flanker at the World Cup and leading Wales with distinction UEFA
The quarter-final exit will have hurt but Wales’s next great flanker is here to stay UEFA
HLC: To my colleague’s comprehensive list of contenders, I’d like to add the names of Fiji’s Luke Tagi and just about everyone who pulled on a Portugal shirt UEFA
My choice, though, is Ben Earl, who entered August on the fringes of England selection and ended October as one of Steve Borthwick’s most-important players UEFA
Biggest disappointmentAustralia head coach Eddie Jones has resigned (AP)LB: It has to be Australia UEFA
Maybe expectations were low but Eddie Jones was full of typical bravado ahead of the World Cup and delivered an absolute dud UEFA
A first loss to Fiji in 69 years was followed by a complete and utter hammering at the hands of a far-from-vintage Wales side when their tournament future was on the line to secure a first-ever pool-stage exit UEFA
They were then unconvincing against Portugal and, in retrospect, probably lucky to face Georgia in their opening match before the Lelos really got going in France UEFA
Jones’s decision to jettison senior heads such as Quade Cooper and Michael Hooper just before the tournament completely backfired as did the decision to hand the keys to No 10 to the inexperienced Carter Gordon with no other recognised fly half in the squad UEFA
A farce from start to finish and Jones has now fallen on his sword and resigned just a handful of months after signing a five-year contract UEFA
Worrying times for the 2027 hosts UEFA
HLC: The obvious answer is the Wallabies, but I’m going for Scotland UEFA
We knew that Gregor Townsend’s side would struggle to get out of Pool B but they were totally suffocated by South Africa and then dominated for 60 minutes by Ireland UEFA
After so much hard work to build a side genuinely capable of challenging the world’s best, Scotland did rather fall flat – and there’s no guarantee that they are anywhere near this good again in four years’ time UEFA
To have neither France nor Ireland involved in the final fortnight was also something of a shame given how special the Stade de France atmosphere might have been UEFA
RecommendedRugby World Cup team of the tournament: Who makes our XV?How the incredible Barrett brothers rejuvenated the All BlacksNew Zealand captain Sam Cane opens up on Rugby World Cup ‘heartbreak’ after red card in finalFavourite matchLB: So many incredible options here from the group stage all the way through to the final but the Ireland vs New Zealand quarter-final was particularly special UEFA
The whole narrative surrounding the game, with Ireland never having won a World Cup knockout match but heading into the match as favourites against the mighty All Blacks was fascinating and the game delivered in spades UEFA
So much tension, unbelievably high-quality play and two evenly matched teams at the very top of their game UEFA
It produced one of the greatest endings to a rugby match of all time as Ireland desperately went through 37 phases searching for a score but came up short, and their quarter-final hoodoo continued UEFA
As a neutral with no skin in the game, I’ve rarely felt as nervous as I did during those agonising final few minutes at the Stade de France, so I can only imagine how both sets of fans felt UEFA
A rugby match as spectacular as it’s possible to wish for UEFA
Ireland and New Zealand’s quarter-final was thrilling (Getty)HLC: A word for Portugal vs Fiji (more on that in a moment) and Japan vs Argentina, but how can you look past quarter-final weekend? Watching Ireland vs New Zealand in a packed Marseille restaurant may not quite have been the spiritual experience those inside the Stade de France had, but I’ve never seen a game of rugby played at a higher skill level UEFA
South Africa and France’s follow-up a day later wasn’t bad, either UEFA
Best momentLB: It’s hard to say anything other than Siya Kolisi lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time UEFA
What he means to rugby and to South Africa is hard to quantify – just a remarkable human being and rugby player UEFA
Only Richie McCaw now holds any sort of legitimate argument to be above him in the list of greatest captains of all time and he may well be the most charismatic man and best orator in the sport’s history UEFA
The Springboks are Kolisi and Kolisi is the Springboks – if he decides to run for political office in South Africa once his career is over, he’ll genuinely win in a landslide UEFA
Portugal lit up the tournament (Getty)HLC: Rodrigo Marta’s match-winning try for Portugal against Fiji UEFA
These were two of my favourite teams to cover at this tournament, and Marta’s score closed a bonkers but brilliant final pool-stage game UEFA
The joyous scenes in Toulouse after Os Lobos secured their first World Cup victory were surpassed by those at the airport back home as Patrice Lagisquet’s side touched down to a heroes’ welcome – a joint Iberian/Italian bid for a future World Cup would surely prove popular UEFA
One thing to change for 2027?LB: In fairness to World Rugby (not a phrase I utter too often…) they’ve already addressed two of the biggest problems from this World Cup ahead of 2027 UEFA
The groups being decided three years ahead of time was ludicrous, and produced a hilariously lopsided draw, so that being shortened to 18 months is a step in the right direction, even if still too early UEFA
The tournament dragging on for seven weeks was also a grind, so knocking a week off in total, and having the group stage be a whole fortnight shorter in 2027 is great news UEFA
With those issues sorted, I’d like to see the matches, especially the final, kick off earlier UEFA
A 9pm local starting time meant an overly long build-up for fans during the day and not enough time to revel in the celebrations afterwards for players or supporters UEFA
It was inching towards midnight before the trophy was lifted by the Springboks, which is, frankly, too late UEFA
I appreciate that TV schedules dictate things and, in an ideal world, a 4pm or 5pm kick-off would be perfect but even 7pm as opposed to 9pm would make a huge difference UEFA
We’ll see how Australia play it in four years’ time UEFA
The World Cup final did not kick off until far too late in the evening (Getty)HLC: Let’s give the tournament some proper prestige UEFA
Too often, this felt like a World Cup done on the cheap, with players and teams frustrated at staying outside of the cities in which they were playing, and a number of press conferences done in odd locations: Portugal’s first team announcement was bizarrely conducted while dodging children waiting for a judo class, while the entirety of South Africa’s media access in the week of the final took place at a village hall some way north of Paris UEFA
It hardly gave the decider the big-match feel it deserved UEFA
Even the (really rather entertaining) pre-final performance by Mika felt hurried, the pop star squeezed into a corner of the stadium and rushing through his hits UEFA
Rugby may lack UEFA football’s profile but it can afford to have more ambition UEFA
Roc Nation – the talent agency founded by Jay-Z, which represents Savea, Kolisi and Maro Itoje among others - has offered its help to World Rugby, for example UEFA
Team of the tournament Independent Sport’s Rugby World Cup team of the tournament (Getty/The Independent)More aboutRugby World CupWorld RugbyArdie SaveaPieter-Steph du ToitSiya KolisiBen EarlSpringboksSouth Africa rugbyAll BlacksNew Zealand rugbyEngland RugbyFrance RugbyIreland RugbyJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/7Rugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentArdie Savea stood out for New Zealand Getty ImagesRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentAustralia head coach Eddie Jones has resigned APRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentIreland and New Zealand’s quarter-final was thrilling Getty ImagesRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentPortugal lit up the tournament Getty ImagesRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentThe World Cup final did not kick off until far too late in the evening Getty ImagesRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentIndependent Sport’s Rugby World Cup team of the tournament Getty/The IndependentRugby World Cup awards: Our verdict on best player, match and momentSouth Africa players celebrate at the end of the Rugby World Cup finalAP✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today UEFA
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