Simply because the July format of enjoying a three-Check collection within the South supplied wonderful leisure final yr when the Irish have been in New Zealand, England in Australia, Wales in South Africa and Scotland in Argentina. All 4 collection went right down to the wire and the drama was wonderful.

However then there have been quirks that haven’t made life so fascinating. Such because the All Blacks enjoying England 4 occasions in 2014, however not once more till 2018. Or the truth that Scotland haven’t performed in New Zealand since 2000.

The dearth of certainty has made it onerous for informal followers to completely put money into the game and for the key nationwide unions to harness the complete industrial worth of Check rugby.

When affirmation got here early this week that the Six Nations and Sanzaar have now agreed to start what’s going to provisionally be referred to as the Nations Championship from 2026, it was a breakthrough second.

This idea – the main points of that are nonetheless to be labored by means of however will primarily see the Six Nations sides, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and most certainly Fiji and Japan play one another in a two-year cycle – has been kicking round since 2019.

We noticed a possibility to, each two years, do one thing fascinating round bringing all of the groups collectively.

NZR chief govt Mark Robinson

The same plan again then, which had a reported $10bn assure of broadcast revenue behind it, was scuppered when an settlement couldn’t be reached about permitting for promotion and relegation.

That preliminary plan needed to construct a second competitors for rising nations that was comparable in format and would give the likes of Georgia, Chile, Uruguay, Samoa and Tonga common rugby, but additionally the hope of understanding there was an opportunity to make it to the following degree.

With out that, it felt just like the rising nations could be lower off from any alternative to develop their full potential and the hole between them and the established elite would solely get wider and in the end by no means be bridged.

4 years on, an settlement has lastly been reached – and for the 12 collaborating nations, the Nations Championship is just not solely going to ship an enormous broadcast windfall, but additionally give the followers one thing extra structured and significant.

“We noticed a possibility to, each two years, do one thing fascinating round bringing all of the groups collectively,” New Zealand Rugby chief govt Mark Robinson says. “We might create some extra pressure round these video games in July and November and have a world champion on the finish of it, in a barely totally different format to what we see on the World Cup.

“It supplies the followers one thing to [use to] evaluate the 2 hemispheres and the way they’re monitoring all through the final six months of any given yr. We expect it will be fascinating and there will probably be some nice storylines round it.

“Over time, hopefully it grows the power and id of an actual competitors. Whenever you take a look at the following 5 years for the All Blacks, with the Lions not lengthy after the following World Cup, it’s a fairly thrilling time for our gamers with the extent of competitors coming.”

Nobody would dispute Robinson’s claims that the longer term appears to be like nice for New Zealand’s gamers and followers. It additionally appears to be like a lot better for the union itself, understanding that it’s going to possible financial institution something as much as one other $40m a yr in broadcast revenue from the Nations Championship content material rights.

However two questions have emerged within the days since affirmation got here that the Nations Championship has its inexperienced mild.

The primary is the difficulty of participant welfare. The All Blacks, for instance, will play 15 Checks subsequent yr and this quantity will possible grow to be the norm for them.

When the Nations Championship begins, the November Check window will lengthen to 4 weeks, which signifies that if the All Blacks make the ultimate, it is going to give them per week much less restoration time earlier than the 2027 season kicks off.

In the beginning of the skilled age, the All Blacks performed a document 10 checks in 1996. Now they’ve seen that quantity enhance by 50 per cent.

Additionally, the interval through which these video games will probably be performed has shrunk – in 1996 they performed 10 Checks in six months, whereas in 2024, they are going to play 15 in 5 months.

When the Nations Championship begins, the November Check window will lengthen to 4 weeks, which signifies that if the All Blacks make the ultimate, it is going to give them per week much less restoration time earlier than the 2027 season kicks off.

For South Africa, Argentina and Fiji, the issue is but extra extreme as their gamers are actually linked into the European membership season however Southern Hemisphere worldwide programme.

Lots of them are actually enjoying year-round, main former All Black and present Worldwide Rugby Gamers’ Affiliation head of welfare and high-performance, Conrad Smith, to say just lately: “That must be addressed as it’s leaving some gamers with no relaxation durations throughout a 12-month calendar, which in a contact sport is loopy.

“We would like a minimal [rest] interval for each participant. Nobody must be arguing with that – however with the present manner issues are, that’s not what’s seen as a result of it’s not written anyplace, so the gamers fall by means of the gaps.

“We now have South Africa – a well-established nation – with gamers within the URC, successfully a Northern Hemisphere competitors, however they’ve a Southern Hemisphere union who play within the Rugby Championship. It’s simply not working.”

Because of this IRPA has solely given the Nations Championship tentative approval. It likes the idea however wants to know how participant workloads are going to be managed.

And the second subject is what number of alternatives will probably be open to the rising tier of countries on this courageous new world.

Robinson says: “There’ll be the same idea stood up as quickly as moderately attainable — hopefully to hit 2026 as effectively — and that’ll give the rising nations the chance to not solely get extra common competitors amongst themselves, however then step up and have that proper to play promotion-relegation.”

With a lot cash and alternative hooked up to the Nations Championship, the Island nations have little prospect of having the ability to persuade dual-qualified gamers to reject the All Blacks, Wallabies, or Japan.

However the hazard is that by 2030, with the monetary inequity that can inevitably develop between the elite 12 and everybody else, it is going to grow to be onerous to realistically promote an rising nation.

It’s a sound level to query whether or not, in seven years, a nation similar to Georgia can have the flexibility to compete towards the likes of Eire, France and the All Blacks given the disparity in wealth and lack of entry to topflight fixtures.

As for the likes of Samoa and Tonga, it’s virtually inconceivable to think about they are going to be capable to maintain on to their gamers and be in any place to graduate to the Nations Championship.

They’re barely managing to do this now as evidenced by the persevering with choice tendencies inside the All Blacks and Wallabies.

There are six gamers in New Zealand’s Rugby Championship squad who have been born in both Tonga, Fiji or Samoa and one-third of the gamers establish as Pasifika.

A few of that is merely a mirrored image of the broader socio-demographics of New Zealand, nevertheless it additionally alludes to an growing variety of school-age Islanders being despatched offshore to attempt to fulfil their rugby desires.

Australia have picked 16 gamers who establish as Pasifika, and there are seven Tongan-born gamers in Japan’s squad.

With a lot cash and alternative hooked up to the Nations Championship, the Island nations have little prospect of having the ability to persuade dual-qualified gamers to reject the All Blacks, Wallabies, or Japan.

Because of this IRPA launched a press release in regards to the Nations Championship: “The ‘Nations Cup’ is considered as an thrilling improvement throughout the July/ November window that the gamers’ union has put its weight behind, topic to assembly applicable requirements of welfare in addition to elevated alternative for rising nations to strategically develop the sport.”

It might appear that rugby can take one giant step ahead with the Nations Championship, however the sport must be cautious that it doesn’t quickly after take two larger ones backwards.