Retired All Blacks captain Kieran Read is backing calls for an integrated international rugby union season, but is concerned that money “coming out of the north” might frustrate attempts to create a global calendar.
Read yesterday in an interview with the Stuff Web site echoed the widespread view that international rugby union needs to move away from the current schedule which frequently forces players from both hemispheres to play Tests out of season.
Read, who retired from Tests after last year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan and after leading the All Blacks in 52 of his 127 matches, suggested the richer northern hemisphere might continue to influence how the global calendar is structured.
Photo: AP
Northern hemisphere teams currently play Tests in the southern hemisphere this month or next month — at the end of their season — and southern hemisphere nations tour the north in November and December.
Those international windows, which fall either of the middle of the Super Rugby season or the European club seasons, substantially lengthen the season for top players.
Re-elected World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has pledged to work toward a more integrated calendar which provides room for the Six Nations and Rugby Championship tournaments, as well as northern and southern hemisphere professional competitions.
Beaumont is a strong advocate of a world Test championship, though his efforts to establish one last year were stalled by an impasse over promotion and relegation.
Southern hemisphere nations opposed Beaumont’s re-election, favoring the reform candidacy of Argentina’s Agustin Pichot.
In part, Beaumont was seen as being too protective of the Six Nations, and British and French club tournaments. He has already made clear he would oppose any move to reschedule the Six Nations, which features Ireland, France, Italy, Wales, Scotland and England.
Read hoped an agreement could be reached which would better integrate the global season and provide more interest to fans.
“I’d like to see some kind of consistency around the season,” he said. “That would be better for everyone involved and especially for the players. So you’re not playing out of season, which shortens your off-season, [and] which means you’re not going to be as well-recovered and ready for the next year.”
Read also joined many fans in calling for more tours by Test-playing nations, a move away from established competitions.
“I think tours are important for the international game,” he said. “The way I see it and the way the game has gone the money is going to dictate, and the money is probably coming out of the north. A tour for me was more around end-of-year tours, which we got to experience a little bit. They’re the best times for a player and I think fans can probably sense that as well. When you get a competitive series it certainly makes for pretty good viewing.”
The COVID-19 pandemic might have brought Read’s rugby union career to an early end.
After retiring from Tests he signed to play for Toyota Verblitz in Japan’s Top League, but his debut season was cut short by the pandemic.
Read has one more year to run on his contract, but is not sure when he might be able to return to Japan.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS