AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 06: The All Blacks perform the haka before The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks at Eden Park on September 06, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer says that sacrifices will have to be made from all rugby unions across the world if a global season is to become a reality.
Ever since South Africa’s four major unions moved north it has become increasingly difficult for the country’s franchises to play their best players regularly in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and there have been difficulties in enforcing resting protocols for Springbok players who now play year-round.
With the Rugby Championship taking place during the window when the Northern Hemisphere teams take their annual break, it is the Springboks and Argentina who are most affected, as the majority of their players play in the northern hemisphere.
‘There is a need for a global season’
SA Rugby recently took part in World Rugby’s “Shape of the Game” conference and Oberholzer believes that there is a general consensus from rugby unions that a global season is needed, but how to pull it off is the problem.
“I think everybody understands that we need a global season for various reasons, especially if you look at player welfare and rest time for professional players,” explained Oberholzer.
“Also, to give fair opportunity for the leagues (franchise competitions) to have their best players available and playing, and for the national teams not to have to worry about resting protocols, it makes a global season very important.
“How we are going to get to that is the challenge, because everybody (each union) will have to give something up. We can’t have a global season if nobody is willing to sacrifice something in what they are used to.
“The Six Nations might have to shift. We might have to shift the TRC (Rugby Championship) to a window closer to the Six Nations.”
How to fit it all in?
Oberholzer continued: “We all say yes, we have to have a global season, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, who is going to sacrifice and what are we willing to shift. That is the challenge.
“What would be best is we have a calendar where there is a window for international rugby, then there is a window for the leagues, and then you end up with a window again for international rugby.
“How can we fit that into 365 days? There is a group working on it, and they hope to be in a position by 2027 to say whether there will ever be a global season or not.”
Making things even more difficult is the fact that rugby broadcast rights holders also have to be considered, as no broadcaster would want two major rugby tournaments being played at the same time.
“It’s easy to say let’s play the Rugby Championship in the Six Nations window, but what will broadcasters say about that? So, there are various things that need to be taken into consideration,” said Oberholzer.
“The best thing would be to start with a clean sheet of paper, and see whether we can fit everything in.”
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