World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper says it’s time to solve the longstanding problem of a global calendar.
Gosper, speaking speaking ahead of a 30 June vote by World Rugby’s council, says the new calendar must respect both the national unions and clubs.
This comes after Europe’s elite thwarted the global season talks during World Rugby’s professional game forum online conference earlier this month.
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‘Our role is one of facilitating an outcome that is good for all and we are listening and understand the views of all stakeholders,’ he told AFP.
‘It is important that the process recognises and supports the needs of both the clubs and the unions.
‘While there appear to be some entrenched positions, there is a good understanding of the issues and a commitment to explore possibilities in much greater detail.
‘Once we get some agreement on what the end of this year looks like, there will be deeper consultation to understand how we can achieve a more optimised long-term calendar than we currently have for the benefit of all – unions and clubs,’ he said.
‘It would be a consultative process.
‘There would be more time to evaluate the options and reduce or remove overlaps between club and international competitions, giving a chance to build a narrative with more meaningful games across some form of competition in the November Test window.’
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