Can Italy’s challenger European rugby project win them a World Cup?
Rugby authorities in Italy have reportedly submitted plans for a new European rugby competition. But can it be viable, and is the World Cup the end goal?
The new president of Italy’s rugby federation, Andrea Duodo, caused a little bit of a stir recently when he confirmed that new proposals for a European club rugby competition had been submitted to the relevant authorities.
Against the backdrop of the federation also putting United Rugby Championship franchise Zebre up for sale – allowing a potential relocation from Parma – and a famously inconsistent international team, sources have given a number of suggestions as to why Italy could be looking to turn its back on the traditional European rugby nations.
Some suggest it could be to launch an ambitious Rugby World Cup hosting bid alongside the Iberian peninsula, while others say it could be an early shift towards the sphere of other nations before promotion and relegation from the Rugby Nations Championship commences at the end of the decade.
Italy jumping ship?
A competition already exists – the Rugby Europe Super Cup – without Italy, but with the likes of Georgian, Spanish and Portuguese teams. So what is the point, is it remotely commercially viable, and what is the end goal?
“The issue seems to be not so much whether there is room for another club competition in Europe but whether there is a compelling logic to how the club game is structured across the continent, given the keenness of emerging markets to develop and improve their capabilities and infrastructure,” Neil Hopkins, global head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, tells CityAM.
He adds that clubs such as Black Lion, based in Tbilisi, should be able to earn a spot in the existing Challenge and Champions Cups without needing to be invited by the governing body, as has been the case in the past two seasons.
But it’s not as simple as putting a competition together and assuming it’ll be a commercial success, as some involved in the proposals are bound to think. Merrick Haydon, EVP at agency rEvolution, says that subsidising travel costs for rugby teams has been an evident problem for both the Champions Cup and URC, adding: “Securing a quality broadcaster would certainly not be easy either.
“It’s undoubtedly a fairly crowded space but there could be appetite from a fan and local market perspective. The challenge is that the associated unions need to find a way to strengthen their club game and so this could be a way of doing so.”
Commercial success
Hopkins concurs, adding: “The commercial success of such a rugby competition would likely be dependent on generating interest from brands with a pretty eclectic footprint stretching from Tbilisi to Lisbon via Prague.
“This is more of a challenge than even the top-tier international club and country competitions in Europe have to tackle.”
There’s a documented ambition for Italy to host or co-host a European World Cup without the help of the likes of England and France, and there are suggestions this new competition could show they’re able to handle it.
But in a market as congested as rugby there may be no room for another competition; something needs to give.
Whatever the situation, the president of a Six Nations team is ruffling feathers. And people are noticing.