https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47418895
Looks like it’s dead in the water now anyway so hopefully they don’t pull out of the WC as that would be very sad. Totally understandable though as what other card do they hold?
You get the feeling this isn’t going to go away though. World Rugby obviously want to shake things up so just a matter of time until a new proposal is put forward.
It’s about money. The Southern Hemisphere teams are struggling financially and the rugby championship doesn’t make anywhere near as much moolah as the six nations does.
It started out as a suggestion to pool all the money and the dish it out equally amongst the competing nations apparently. I suspect the NH sides laughed at that suggestion.
Obviously not involving the Pacific island teams or Georgia, yet having the USA and Japan involved only proves that further. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga absolutely piss all over USA and Japan and pretty much always have done.
This isn’t just Southern Hemisphere wanting money, this is everyone wanting more and no one really giving a shit about the rest as long as they get their share.It’s about money. The Southern Hemisphere teams are struggling financially and the rugby championship doesn’t make anywhere near as much moolah as the six nations does.
It started out as a suggestion to pool all the money and the dish it out equally amongst the competing nations apparently. I suspect the NH sides laughed at that suggestion.
Obviously not involving the Pacific island teams or Georgia, yet having the USA and Japan involved only proves that further. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga absolutely piss all over USA and Japan and pretty much always have done.
All about money. Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Georgia all miss out whilst USA get an invite...
Whoa.
Rugby has this huge problem in that the pacific islands produce an insane amount of it's top stars that contribute towards it's success on an unbelievable scale relative to their population.
On the current model you just can't reward them financially because the infrastructure isn't there to get loads of european fans over to watch test matches. The lions is a big enough ask as it is but (and yes I have been to fiji and the cook islands) it's another massive plane journey even from NZ. There isn't really enough hotels or any thing to have such a huge influx of tourists.
So you really can't blame these guys for wanting to play for the bigger nations where their wages will literally pay for their families/extended communities.
There really isn't an obvious solution though. The only thing I can think of is having maybe a PI equivalent of the lions that played in the 6N or some thing? Having it based in europe and giving the money to the PI rfu's?
Can you imagine a combined team of all the PI players based in europe? They might even win it. They would certainly entertain.