sport news Plans for a rugby World Club Cup take a huge step step forward after European ... trends now
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Plans for a World Club Cup have taken a massive step forward with the first tournament slated to take place in June 2028.
European rugby bosses are believed to have a signed a memorandum of understanding which could see the likes of Leinster, Toulouse and Saracens pitched against southern hemisphere giants like the Hurricanes, the Brumbies and the Chiefs.
And in a huge concession the domestic leagues are understood to have agreed to move their finals to May to clear the decks for the new tournament to be played as a stand-alone entity in June 2028.
That is a seismic shift especially for the French, whose final this year is due to played on 28 June whilst the Premiership final this season is on 8 June, with the URC finale two weeks later.
A well-placed source said: 'Those weekends need to go somewhere. That is a big thing for France, the French have been very protective of their Top 14 final but there is a desire to do something different every four years.'
European rugby bosses are believed to have signed an agreement for the World Club Cup
The likes of Leinster, Toulouse and Saracens could face Southern Hemisphere opposition
The Champions Cup would run to the quarter-finals with teams joining the World Club Cup
EPCR, who run the Champions and Challenge Cups, only have eight weekends available during the season so they will use them for four
