SA Rugby is reportedly supporting Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh’s proposal for the Rugby Championship format from 2027.
The Sanzaar tournament won’t be played in 2026, when the Springboks host the All Blacks in an eight-match “Greatest Rivalry” tour, including three Tests.
From 2027, Waugh wants to adopt a traditional home-and-away format for the Rugby Championship, rather than switching to a tours-based structure.
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According to Rapport, the CEOs of SA Rugby, NZ Rugby, Rugby Australia and the UAR met in London last week to discuss the competition’s long-term format.
While a proposal for a touring system – in which each team would travel to one country for a three-Test series – remains under consideration, SA Rugby is understood to prefer the structure which sees each team face the other three, once at home and once away, every year.
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In a further development, SA Rugby is also exploring the possibility of shifting the Rugby Championship to February and March from 2029, to better align with the Six Nations and lay the foundation for a global rugby calendar.
Rapport understands that such a move would only be feasible if the Six Nations organisers agreed to bring their tournament forward by two weeks.
NZ Rugby, previously the only Sanzaar member opposed to an earlier window, could then be persuaded to support the shift.
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