Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh is reportedly pushing for the Rugby Championship to continue while officials consider shifting it to a new window in the calendar.
The Roar reports that Waugh was previously on board with Sanzaar’s tours format for 2028, but now believes the competitiveness and global interest in this year’s Rugby Championship has proved too valuable to lose.
The Rugby Championship won’t be played in 2026, when the Springboks host the All Blacks in a blockbuster eight-match “Greatest Rivalry” tour, including three Tests. But Waugh now wants the tournament locked in from 2027 onwards.
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“What we’ve seen is just the competitiveness of this year’s TRC, and the interest not just here locally but globally,” Waugh told Stan Sport. “It’s yet to be finalised, but that level of consistency through 2027, 2028 and 2029 is really important.
“We’re still finalising those conversations but if you were to disrupt it slightly in ’26, then keeping a level of consistency through ’27, ’28, ’29 could be really important in terms of that connectivity to our supporters.”
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According to The Roar, a full Rugby Championship is locked in for 2027 ahead of the World Cup in Australia, while 2028 was expected to revert to the tour format with three Bledisloe Cup clashes.
Waugh’s intervention means the TRC is now likely to take place instead – although only two trans-Tasman Tests may be scheduled that year unless a third is separately arranged.
In a move that would have global implications, officials are also exploring a February-March window for the Rugby Championship from 2029, bringing it in line with the Six Nations and edging rugby closer to a unified calendar.
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