The prospect of a world club championship being introduced in rugby union "appears to be a step closer to a lucrative reality as negotiations over moving the Aviva Premiership as part of a new-look global calendar begin to gather momentum," according to Alex Lowe of the LONDON TIMES. The Six Nations "is expected to remain in its present window, but the Premiership, Guinness PRO12 and French Top 14 leagues are all believed to be working to align their seasons with Super Rugby by finishing in June, which would create the opportunity for the best of the European club game to take on the best of the southern hemisphere once every four years." The proposal for summer tours to be scrapped in the year after a World Cup -- of which Eddie Jones, the England coach, is an advocate -- "also appears to have gained some traction." That "would leave an obvious window for the world club championship to be introduced." The PRO12 season "runs in parallel to the Premiership but to bring the Top 14 in line would require a radical restructuring of the French game." Their season "spans from August 20 to June 4 with no break for international weekends." It "has also been mooted that the Premiership could start a month later, and run from October to June." Moving summer tours to July "would satisfy SANZAAR," because it would allow the Super Rugby competition to be played to a climax without breaking off for internationals. The negotiations, led by World Rugby Chair Bill Beaumont, "are also aiming to give tier-two nations such as the Pacific islands, the United States and Japan access to more regular international games" (LONDON TIMES, 9/14).
RUGBY RESEARCH: The BBC reported sports scientists "are to research the long-term health effects of playing rugby, including the implications for those who suffer concussion." Retired amateur and professional players across the U.K. "will be assessed as part of a university study." The research "will also explore muscle, bone, joint and cardiometabolic health" (BBC, 9/14).
