Paris (AFP)

Five or six matches instead of three, the northern and southern nations separated, a Rugby Championship in a single country: the autumn testing schedule, completely upset by the Covid-19 pandemic, took shape on Wednesday with the World Rugby recommendations.

. No North-South meeting

It is now a certainty. The South African world champions or their New Zealand predecessors will not make their usual November tour in Europe, where the Springboks were notably to rub shoulders with the XV of France.

The World Rugby executive committee has confirmed it: if sanitary conditions allow, the 4 southern nations (with Argentina and Australia) will remain under the equator where they will play the Rugby Championship, which is held in ordinary in August and September, from November 7 to December 12, in a classic format (6 matches) but reduced in as many weeks. And above all, in a single country in order to limit the risks of the virus spreading and simplify logistics made very cumbersome by protective measures.

. New Zealand, Promised Land

It should be in New Zealand, a country spared by the pandemic and which imposes a strict fortnight on arrival on its territory. Consequence: South Africans and Argentines, who have massively joined the ranks of European clubs, will have to leave the Old Continent no later than October 18, or the day after the European Cup final, to be ready on time. In return, advance the international body, the French or English clubs which employ them will have these players available until October, at a period when they are usually mobilized by their selection.

It is on the side of the Northern Hemisphere that the provisional modification of Rule 9, which frees internationals 3 weekends in November for their selection, will have the most spectacular effect: from 3, European nations could compete until '' to 6 matches in order to complete the Six Nations Tournament interrupted in March by the health crisis and then to fill the coffers of their Federations with a mini-tournament between them and invited teams (Japan and Fiji).

If World Rugby goes all the way by voting this exceptional change on July 30, the Blues will be able to host Ireland at the Stade de France on October 31 to complete their Tournament, in addition to at least three other home matches and 'one outside.

. Five matches, maintains the League

In the end, five or six? The French Rugby Federation (FFR) would like six but the National Rugby League (LNR) is not of this opinion and quickly recalled it in a press release: the Top 14 clubs have already made "a very important effort "by agreeing to release their players for 5 matches, they will not go further.

For the NRL, which emphasizes that the Covid-19 pandemic has weakened the clubs' economy, the extension of the international window to 7 weeks (6 matches + 1 rest) as recommended by World Rugby would be "a unilateral decision and unbalanced "because it would involve neither the Leagues nor the representatives of the players.

But the League sees a way out: as World Rugby does not impose "a predefined number of matches", the details of the program of the XV of France and the number of days of provision of the players remains at the discretion of the two instances of rugby. French, whose relations are very complicated since Laporte conquered the FFR at the end of 2016. The leaders' vacations will have to wait, negotiations are expected to be difficult in the coming days.

© 2020 AFP