20 WAYS TO SHAKE UP RUGBY
1 Less is more strategy
Adding more and more matches, tournaments and events to an already overcrowded calendar is not the answer, even if there is a need to replenish Covid-depleted coffers. It can be hard for rugby fans to keep track of the different competitions taking place, the oversaturated market creating confusion, while clubs are often without their stars due to fixture overlaps.
People talk of the rarity value of the British & Irish Lions increasing its appeal, but that philosophy is not used in other areas of rugby. Less can be more – and if player welfare truly was the game’s top priority it is an attitude that should be more readily applied.
Of course, the key to all this is the long-hoped-for ‘global season’, where calendars in the northern and southern hemispheres are aligned, Internationals don’t clash with club competitions. Not only would it make fixtures more meaningful but it would put a stop to the endless rows – club v country, country v country, everyone v World Rugby – that so often mar the sport’s image and make it look amateurish.
2 A stars and stripes World Cup
Not until the ninth Rugby World Cup did World Rugby take the sport’s global showpiece outside the traditional market. Japan 2019 was a roaring success –
