Bill Beaumont responds to reports that the Six Nations could be moved - Ruck

Bill Beaumont responds to reports that the Six Nations could be moved

Bill Beaumont has responded to a report in The Rugby Paper suggesting that World Rugby are planning to shift the Six Nations as part of radical plans to shake up the game’s sporting calendar and establish a Nations League.

The article, which was on the front page, suggests the competition will be moved from its usual starting date of early February to later in the year – in April – in order to ease the conflict between the club and international game.

However, speaking on Sunday, the re-elected chairman rubbished the reports.

“Why would you move the Six Nations?” said Beaumont.

“It is not affecting anyone else’s window on the global calendar. It’s been played in February and March since I was a lad. Nobody has ever mentioned to me that the Six Nations would move its timescale.

“Certainly that would not be the intention currently. The Six Nations is owned by the Six Nations. What we will try and do is bring in a new competition that still keeps the Six Nations as a stand-alone competition.

“There could be an appetite to put the windows together and there are currently representatives from both northern and southern hemispheres doing that. What has stimulated the debate is the position regarding this (Covid-19) year when we don’t know when any games will take place, so would it be better putting two windows together? So the North go South in one month. Then immediately after, the South go North the next month. But we have to take all stakeholders with us – in the North we have to take the club game, the European game, so we are in dialogue with all these stakeholders.

“But you could have a competition in between with all the countries that play in those two windows. Sitting below that you could have a subsidiary competition that involves all the emerging nations, and you could well have promotion and relegation into that.

“My job is to get consensus from everybody in the game. I do think there is an appetite from the Six Nations to look at a Nations Cup.”


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Happy Easter little bunnies 🐰 🍫

A post shared by Annabel Field (@annabelfield) on

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