sport news ALEX BYWATER: Plans for a rugby World Club Cup should be welcomed - the ... trends now
Let’s be honest. The Investec Champions Cup isn’t what it was.
European rugby’s biggest club tournament has lost the allure and prestige it once had. The glory days of what was previously known as the Heineken Cup are much missed.
Perhaps those memories are now consigned to a bygone era. And that is why new plans for a World Club Cup to begin in 2028 should be welcomed by rugby fans on the proviso it does not place further demands on the players in terms of game time and their welfare is protected.
Given European Rugby bosses – who are driving the new competition – only have eight weeks in the global calendar within which to work, it appears on face value that a World Club Cup wouldn’t mean extra matches for the sport’s top stars. That is paramount and good news because enough is being asked of the leading players already.
So long as that is the case, we must embrace a much-needed change to the club rugby schedule.
The Investec Champions Cup has lost much of the allure and prestige it had in its glory days
The opportunity for sides to play stars at sides like Saitama Wild Knights in Japan is enormous
The prospect of teams like Leinster facing off against southern hemisphere giants is a tantalising one
The prospect of teams like Saracens, Leinster and Toulouse facing off against southern hemisphere giants like the Hurricanes of New Zealand and the Saitama Wild Knights from Japan is certainly something new to enthuse supporters.
For too long now we have called on rugby to change, evolve and grow to try and take the sport to another level.
That is why such plans must not be criticised.
Sure, there are questions still to answer.
The 2028 tournament is slated to be held in the northern hemisphere but may well be hosted in either New Zealand or Japan in the future from 2032.
If Saracens are slated to play the Hurricanes in Wellington for example, is it feasible for fans of the current Gallagher Premiership title
