SA Rugby magazine asked SA Rugby president Mark Alexander whether the game’s powerbrokers will ever find common ground on a global season.
Alexander and SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer are in London for a series of World Rugby workshops, which includes the global season.
There’s been much debate about aligning the global rugby calendar. What’s your perspective?
If we are truly hoping to find a solution to the global calendar, we must resist the temptation to arrive with fixed positions and entrenched demands. Instead, we need to approach this challenge with a blank sheet of paper, which is open to dialogue, compromise and innovation.
A workable solution will only emerge if we create a dedicated window for the club system. Clubs are not only vital in their own right, but they also serve as an essential feeder to international competitions. Their sustainability and alignment are critical to the health of the entire rugby ecosystem.
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Do you think consensus is achievable?
We may not achieve total agreement, but we can secure the majority consensus needed to move forward. That will require us to make hard decisions, where we must balance tradition with progress, national interests with global priorities and short-term pressures with long-term vision. Only by embracing flexibility and collective responsibility can we deliver a calendar that truly serves the game, its players and its supporters across the world.
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What objectives should guide this process?
There are four clear priorities:
1. Player welfare – There must be guaranteed and dedicated rest and recovery periods, with medical input shaping the calendar.
2. Leagues and competitions – Ensuring stability and commercial viability by protecting core windows.
3. National teams – Securing clear, non‑conflicting international slots that preserve the prestige of Test rugby.
4. Global equity – Balancing the needs of tier one and emerging unions, ensuring inclusivity and sustainability.
So, from a South African perspective, what’s the message to the sport’s stakeholders?
The message is simple: this is not about protecting narrow interests, but about safeguarding the future of rugby. If we can align around these objectives, we will create a calendar that is sustainable, commercially viable and respectful of the players who are at the heart of the game. Each country must think beyond what may necessarily just work for a particular country. It has to be about the bigger global future of the game.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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