World Rugby chief executive Bill Beaumont said on Tuesday the sport had entered an “exciting new era” with the unveiling of a new international competition to be held every two years from 2026, but the plan has not received unanimous approval from rugby’s smaller nations.
The new competition will feature a top division with 12 teams from the Six Nations Championship and the Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship.
Two additional countries, Japan and Fiji, are likely to be included, with matches scheduled for July and November.
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There will also be a second division with 12 teams, but promotion and relegation will not take place until 2030.
But if Beaumont thought this change would satisfy the second-tier national team, his hopes were dashed by the arrival of Samoan fly-half Lima Sopoa.
The 32-year-old told AFP the plan was “like a slap in the face” for the second-division side.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to be left out of this. It’s not what rugby is about to me, it’s not the values that everyone talks about,” said Sopoaga, who played 16 Tests for New Zealand.
The new competition, which has not yet been named, will replace the current international window competitions held in the summer and fall.
“Agreement on a global schedule and content for men and women is the most important development since the sport became professional,” Beaumont said.
“(This) is a historic moment that lays the collective foundation for success in our sport.
“We now look forward to an exciting new era beginning in 2026, one that will bring certainty and opportunity to all.
“This is an era that supports the many, not the few, and promotes the development of sport beyond traditional and often self-imposed boundaries.” Six Nations Rugby welcomed the changes as “player-led reforms” and said it would adapt the women’s and men’s tournaments accordingly.
“The senior men’s Six Nations will move to five match weekends over a six-week block, with additional breaks for international players who are out of competition and throughout the season.” The women’s Six Nations will start three weeks later than currently scheduled.
‘It’s really embarrassing’
There is also a new tournament for some of the second-tier nations, a revamped Pacific Nations Championship featuring Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States.
The Pacific Nations Cup, which takes place during the Southern Hemisphere launch period from August to September, is divided into two groups of three teams: North America/Japan and the Pacific Islands, with each confederation hosting the matches.
A final series is held each year, with all teams participating, to determine the champion for that year. Japan will host its first final in 2024.
Beaumont said it would address concerns expressed by coaches from second-tier nations about the lack of four-yearly Test match rugby during the ongoing World Cup in France.
Sopoaga isn’t sure what the better alternative is, but “it’s not this, that’s for sure.” “Rugby should be everyone’s game, but it seems to be just for the rich and the countries with money,” he said.
World Rugby also announced that the Men’s Rugby World Cup will expand from 20 to 24 teams from the next tournament, which will be held in Australia in 2027.
The sport’s governing body said in a statement that adding four more countries to the World Cup would “provide more qualification opportunities for more teams and regional competitions”.
The decision follows several bouts of discord in the World Cup group stage, culminating in Saturday’s final between defending champions South Africa and New Zealand.
Of the second-tier nations, only Fiji reached the knockout stage, beating Australia for the first time in 69 years but also losing to Portugal.
Sopoaga said the move made it difficult for Samoa to remain competitive at the next World Cup, where they lost by just one point to eventual semi-finalist England in the group stage.
“Samoa played 12 Test matches between 2019 and 2023, only two of which were against Tier 1 nations,” he said.
“A second division team can’t wait to be given a chance every four years. It’s a real shame.”
