Billionaire Andrew Forrest's Global Rapid Rugby Launch Pushed Back

Billionaire Andrew Forrest's new Global rugby competition, Rapid Rugby, has hit a snag with the launch pushed back to 2020.

The competition was set to kick off this year with a 60-game schedule but time has run out for the organisers, despite a memorandum of understanding signed by Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby with Forrest's Minderoo in recent months.

Forrest reportedly failed to finalise deals with two of the regions pencilled in for the competition this year and with the Rugby World Cup looming, the logistics of the competition proved too difficult to lock down in time.

Instead of staging the full tournament in 2019, a "Showcase Series" will be run around the regions that were to be involved in GRR.

In a statement, Forrest was confident the competition, with a $1 million prize, would run in 2020.

"In 2019, fans are going to get a real feel for how the entertainment experience we pioneered in Australia last year will evolve throughout the Asia Pacific. It will form a runway for the launch of an even bigger investment in 2020, once strong broadcasting arrangements are in place,” he said.

“Making Rapid Rugby a reality has required a considerable amount of courage and determination. That determination, and our vision, has not changed. The strategy required to realise it requires a strong foundation.”

A schedule is yet to be released for this Showcase Series but it is expected to be announced in the coming months.