SANZAAR could ‘demand’ compensation from Six Nations after £800m Qatar deal fails

SANZAAR could ‘demand’ compensation from Six Nations after £800m Qatar deal fails – report

Posted by author July 31, 2024 World

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SANZAAR nations could seek compensation from the Six Nations after the Nations Championship deal with Qatar fell through, according to a report.

The Middle East country was seen as the preferred host for the new biennial tournament after they entered an exclusive negotiation period of two months.

A deal was thought to have been extremely close but, according to City A.M., it was blocked by the Six Nations.

The report claimed that the English, Welsh and Scottish unions were open to the proposal but that France and Ireland were unwilling to sign up.

The constitution

As a result, the deal was not accepted as the Six Nations constitution states that they vote en bloc, which means the respective unions must all agree to the proposal.

A new host will therefore be found for the finals weekend of the Nations Championship, a tournament that sees the sport’s 10 biggest sides, plus two more – thought to be Fiji and Japan – compete in a top division.

World Rugby will then run the second tier, consisting of a further 12 nations, with the matches slated to take place during the July and November windows.

It will start in 2026 with the eventual aim to allow promotion and relegation from the two tiers.

Six Nations and SANZAAR make final decision on Qatar’s controversial £800m ‘Super Bowl of rugby’ bid – report

Doha was initially the favoured destination to host a series of play-off encounters over a weekend in what had been billed as a ‘Super Bowl of rugby’, but that will not now happen.

It was understood to be worth £800m over six years, or £200m per tournament, with Qatar offering to host the finals in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032.

Unhappy southern hemisphere

With the deal failing to go through, the big Rugby Championship nations have been left distinctly unimpressed.

New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, who have all had their financial struggles, were understood to be “strongly in favour” of the offer and, according to City A.M., could now “demand” millions of pounds in compensation from the Six Nations sides.

A search for a new host is underway with the USA thought to be a potential option, especially with the Rugby World Cup being held there in 2031.

World Rugby is hoping to grow the sport in the US ahead of the tournament and having the Nations Championship play-offs in North America could help achieve that aim.

With the Olympic rugby sevens, which proved to be a huge success in Paris, taking place in Los Angeles in 2028, there are several avenues the governing body are exploring.