In or Out? World Rugby set deadline for unions to make Nations Championship Call - reports
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World Rugby has given unions a deadline of March 29 to sign up to the Nations Championship according to the Daily Mail. On Thursday, World Rugby revealed their vision for the future of test rugby in a meeting in Dublin and it emerged that their annual Nations Championship concept will be financed by In Front Sports, based in Zug, Switzerland.
In Front Sports investment is worth around £5 billion over a 12-year period. Their chief executive and president is Philippe Blatter - nephew of former FiFA president Sepp Blatter. World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont admitted that 'not everyone is in full agreement on the way forward' with a few of the Six Nations unions fiercely opposed to the new model.
Sportsmail has revealed that there is a very limited time-frame for unions to make their decision as they have until March 29 to sign offer letters and submit them to World Rugby. If all unions do not sign up by that landmark date, two weeks from now, the Nations Championship vision will be scrapped.
By signing up for the Nations Championship, unions will have to forfeit all other deals which would leave the Six Nations Unions deciding whether to go with the World Rugby offer or go with the CVC (a private equity firm) offer of £100million per union in return for a 30 per cent stake in the tournament.
