Rugby attempts to bring the sport as close to a seamless global calendar as possible

World Rugby‚ the game’s governing body‚ announced a revised playing schedule on Thursday that will bring the sport as close to a seamless global calendar as it can under difficult constraints.

The new agreement will run from 2020 through to 2032 and has been reached with player welfare as one of its major objectives.

The most significant changes from a South African perspective see the traditional June Test window move to July‚ which allows Super Rugby to continue without a break‚ as is currently the case.

It also allows the international season to follow through the middle of the year with incoming tours in July‚ followed by the Rugby Championship in August and September.

Super Rugby is set for changes itself after a meeting of the South Africa‚ New Zealand Australia and Argentina Rugby (SANZAAR) last week.

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The tournament is set to be pared back down to 15 teams‚ which means that it could start a week later – around the first weekend in March with the new global agreement.

The first three weekends of the July window have been set aside as the official Test period with the exception of World Cup years when it will be the first two weeks.

By having the incoming tours in July it will give teams more time to prepare for their southern hemisphere tours as the domestic club season in the northern hemisphere concludes at the end of May.

The November tours schedule‚ when southern hemisphere nations tour Britain‚ Europe and North America‚ will move forward one week to encompass the first three weekends of the month.

It will allow a slightly longer off-season for southern hemisphere players.

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“The agreement to move the June international window back to the first three weeks of July brings continuity and coherence to our domestic calendar‚” said SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux.

“The switch between Vodacom Super Rugby and the incoming series‚ and then back to Super Rugby‚ damaged both events. The change will be welcomed by all in the Southern Hemisphere.

“It will allow us to complete Super Rugby before engaging in a Test season that will run seamlessly from the incoming series to the Rugby Championship without interruption.

“It will also allow touring teams to better prepare between the end of their domestic seasons and the start of southern hemisphere tours.”

There is also allowance for an increase in clashes between tier one (Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams) and tier two nations.

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There will be a total of 110 fixtures‚ or a 39% increase in matches across the two tiers. Emerging rugby powers will be integrated into the July and November windows‚ providing annual opportunities against the SANZAAR and Six Nations unions across July and November.

In addition‚ a rotation principle that includes emerging rugby powers will deliver greater schedule equity‚ promoting more meaningful‚ compelling fixtures and supporting World Rugby’s objective to increase the competitiveness of the global game.

“Agreement on an optimised global calendar that provides certainty and sustainability over the decade beyond Rugby World Cup 2019 represents an historic milestone for the global game‚” World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said.

• Southern Kings and Cheetahs set to be axed from Super RugbySouth Africa‚ New Zealand‚ Australia and Argentina Rugby (SANZAAR) will reveal its new Super Rugby format in the coming week‚ which will again change the landscape of the tournament. 

“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.

“This process has been complex and there was no silver bullet. Compromise has been achieved by all stakeholders in the spirit of collaboration and I would like to thank my union‚ professional league and club colleagues for their full contribution and commitment to reaching an agreement that will ultimately benefit the whole game.”

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport