2 hours ago
2
New tours era set to replace Rugby Championship
The Rugby Championship will not take place next year, and the current format of the competition is unlikely to be played again until 2029, the Herald understands. As has been well signposted, the All Blacks are heading to South Africa next year for a seven-game tour featuring matches against the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions, as well as three Tests – with a fourth Test to be tacked on at the end in Europe.
That will replace the Rugby Championship in 2026, but plans are also afoot for tours involving all four SANZAAR nations in 2028. The Wallabies are set to play two three-Test series in 2028, meaning they could either head to New Zealand for three Tests or host the All Blacks, followed by a similar arrangement with either South Africa or Argentina.
That would mean no Rugby Championship in 2026, a shortened version in 2027 (a Rugby World Cup year), and again no Rugby Championship in 2028 – before a resumption of the current format in 2029.
A huge change that has been coming
The irony of the change is that the Rugby Championship has been enjoying a strong couple of years – particularly in 2025. However, some of that success can be attributed to the “mini-tour” format introduced in 2022, which saw each nation play back-to-back Tests in one country.
For example, the Wallabies hosted Los Pumas twice this year after playing two matches in South Africa. That model has been a big success, allowing the narrative to build over two weeks.
Filipo Daugunu goes over to score at Allianz Stadium.Credit: Getty Images
If the three-Test tour concept were in place today, the Wallabies and Los Pumas would currently be heading into a “decider”. For geographical reasons, the Rugby Championship has never offered an apples-to-apples comparison with the Six Nations, but Wallabies fans have always shown a huge appetite for three-Test series – whether against the British and Irish Lions, Ireland, or England in recent years.
Due to the introduction of the Nations Championship next year, those inbound July tours by northern hemisphere teams could largely become a thing of the past.
The Nations Championship part of the puzzle
The Nations Championship, or Nations Cup, will launch next year. As the Herald has previously reported, Ireland, France and Italy are likely to travel south to face the Wallabies. The new 12-nation tournament will feature six north-vs-south fixtures before a “finals weekend” in the last week of November.
New Zealand will be touring South Africa on an eight-game tour in 2026.Credit: Getty Images
The Wallabies, therefore, are set to play England, Scotland and Wales at the end of next year, followed by a final Test to determine their final placing in the Nations Championship standings. Rugby administrators believe there is more jeopardy – and more money – in this format. One downside, however, is the impact on July inbound tours.
The Nations Championship will be held every two years, reducing the window for northern tours, but the new Sanzaar tours format will pick up some of the slack.
Loading
What it all means for the Bledisloe Cup
The new calendar is separate from Rugby Australia’s ongoing push for an Anzac Day Bledisloe Test – a concept that New Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk has at least shown some willingness to revisit, according to an interview with the Herald. It is understood there will be two Bledisloe Tests next year following the All Blacks’ tour of South Africa – one in New Zealand and one in Australia.
That two-game format is likely to continue, although there is also the enticing prospect of a three-Test tour in 2028: either the Wallabies heading to New Zealand, or the All Blacks coming to Australia.
One issue for the potential Anzac Test is fierce opposition from the five New Zealand Super Rugby clubs, even if Kirk himself is sympathetic to the idea. RA will at least gain something from the All Blacks-South Africa tour, with broadcast revenue from Sky New Zealand and SuperSport in South Africa flowing into the shared Sanzaar pot.
The Tahs kids are all right
A very young Waratahs side embarrassed the Reds 47-19 in Super Rugby AU Narrabri on Saturday, with fullback James Hendren building on last week’s promising round one showing with four tries. Les Kiss, the usually calm Reds coach, must have felt like blasting his side afterward, as several older heads were poor in the second half, failing to stick to basics such as respecting possession.
Perhaps the Reds got ahead of themselves after seeing the inexperienced Waratahs team sheet, especially in the backline. But what the Waratahs lacked in experience and size, they made up for with ambition in their play.
Teddy Wilson predictably made a big impact when he came on at halfback, while Hendren and Jackson Ropata – who wore No.13 against the Reds after playing at No.12 the week before – are clearly players to watch, and the new competition is already proving its worth.
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
