Picture it – your team gets to the Champions Cup semi-finals in January 2019 and, 16 weeks later, they play that game.
Everyone has a masterplan to fix the world rugby fixture calendar. The problem is, the loudest voices often have vested interests.
Power brokers, unions and expert voices will all converge soon to set out at world rugby calendar from 2019 on that is as digestible as possible. You don’t envy them but they will eat well and sleep comfortably during the whole, drawn-out process.
The powers that be at the European Professional Club Rugby have a proposal that does little to get northern and southern hemisphere rugby in sync but that gives themselves a big block of consecutive games through December and January.
The Telegraph has been in touch with the EPCR and has revealed plans to stage all of the pool stages fixtures and the quarter finals in December and January. The semi-finals are in mid May with the Champions Cup final on the first weekend in June.
This idea may be scuttled not long after it is floated. Many of the top European sides would not be keen on taking a break from January to mid May between the quarter and semi-finals as all sense of momentum would be lost.
The domestic seasons in England and France, and the Guinness PRO12, would then start in October, break for two months, and from February to the end of May. It would run concurrently with the Six Nations championship, which is something PRO12 chiefs are pushing against.
The EPCR proposal that does make sense is limiting November internationals to three Tests per nation. Once again, however, these would fall on the same weekend as league fixtures.
Nice try.
On the latest episode of the GAA Hour, Wooly chats to new Meath boss Andy McEntee about the flawed Dublin Championship and catches up with new Clare joint manager Donal Moloney. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes.
