World Rugby announced a "new long-term fixture harmony for Test matches," an agreement that will commence in '20 and run until '32, according to John O'Sullivan of the IRISH TIMES. Some of the primary initiatives "include bringing the start date of Rugby World Cups forward to the second week in September, which facilitates a permanent and rigid place in the global rugby calendar." Tours by northern hemisphere countries to their southern siblings "will no longer take place in June." Instead, they will be "pushed back to the first three weeks in July, thereby allowing the completion of the Super Rugby Championship without interruption." It will be "interesting to see what, if any, knock-on effect it has for the Champions Cup and Guinness Pro12 tournaments" (IRISH TIMES, 3/16). In London, Jack Austin reported the shift will apply from '20-32 and rugby's governing body said that "player welfare was behind the changes to the current format." World Rugby Chair Bill Beaumont said, "Agreement on an optimized global calendar that provides certainty and sustainability over the decade beyond Rugby World Cup 2019 represents a historic milestone for the global game. But more than that, this agreement has player welfare and equity at heart, driving certainty and opportunities for emerging rugby powers and laying the foundations for a more compelling and competitive international game, which is great for unions, players and fans" (INDEPENDENT, 3/16).
