Paris (AFP)

The International Federation (World Rugby) announced Wednesday the abandonment of its project of Nations Championship, which was to bring together the best teams on the planet from 2022.

"World Rugby confirms to have reluctantly abandoned its project of Nations Championship, for lack of unanimity among the Federations before Wednesday, condition to start exclusive negotiations," said World Rugby in a statement.

This competition was to bring together the best teams in each hemisphere three years out of four, that is to say every year without a World Cup and generate very significant income.

"This project was supported by a 12-year, £ 6.1 billion (€ 6.9 billion) guaranteed revenue provided by Infront sports marketing agency, backed by its Hong Kong-based parent company Wanda. ", recalled World Rugby.

The International Players Union (IRP), but also the French (NRL) and English (PRL) leagues, the main employers of professional players in Europe, were the main opponents of the World Rugby project.

Players from the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga), joined in a union (PRPW) had also lambasted the project saying the competition would deprive their countries of matches against the best teams. They had even called for a boycott of the world's next in Japan (September 20-November 2).

-Extension of the World Cup in 2027?

The Nations Championship, which was to start in 2022, aimed to revive the interest of international summer and autumn windows (touring) by integrating them, such as the Six Nations Tournament and the Rugby Championship into a annual competition.

The best team selections were scheduled to play eleven games per year, from February to November, before a final phase (semi-finals and final) in the wake of the four best. Which should have played four or five games (three regular season plus the final) in November.

This series of meetings has aroused strong criticism from the International Players Union (IRP). Its president, the Irishman Jonathan Sexton, had thus estimated at the end of February that the project was carried "without really taking into account" the opinion of the players.

"Suggesting that players can play five test matches of very high level several consecutive weeks in November is disconnected from reality and shows the lack of understanding of the physical demands that this entails," had also launched Sexton.

"We are naturally disappointed not to have achieved unanimity among our federations, we remain totally focused on alternative solutions (...) for the benefit of our federations," said World Rugby President Bill Beaumont , quoted in the statement.

Bill Beaumont highlighted the involvement of World Rugby to increase the competitiveness of emerging nations, "with a view to a possible extension of the World Cup in 2027".

The 9th edition of the World Cup will be played from September 20 to November 2 in Japan with twenty teams divided into four pools of five.

? 2019 AFP