World Rugby to convene Dublin meeting in wake of World League controversy

Bill Beaumont has insisted NO decisions have been made regarding the possible formation of a World League, the World Rugby chairman adding he will convene a meeting in Dublin later this March to formally consider the best way forward for the future of the international game.

The sport’s governing body has found itself at the eye of a storm in recent days after speculation emerged that a new World League was in the pipeline and that this competition would allegedly exclude the three major Pacific Island nations.

Such was the uproar that there have been calls for Fiji, Tonga and Samoa to take the nuclear decision of boycotting the 2019 World Cup in Japan. However, Beaumont has claimed nothing is yet cut and dry regarding the future of the Test game.

“In light of continued speculation and commentary, I’m convening a meeting of chairmen and CEOs from tier one unions, Fiji and Japan and player representatives in Dublin later this month to consider the way forward for an annual international competition,” said Beaumont.

His statement was released on Sunday in reaction to what the governing body described as the ‘ongoing speculation and inaccurate information in the public sphere, which World Rugby cannot yet publicly address owing to the fluid and sensitive nature’.

“Contrary to reports, no decisions have been made. This is an ongoing and complex process with multiple stakeholders, some with differing views.

“Only by working together in the interests of the global game can we achieve something truly impactful in this important area for rugby’s future global growth. I look forward to a constructive debate with my colleagues and productive outcomes.”

The statement added that World Rugby will shortly be releasing a detailed outline of the model as originally proposed which gives broader context to the project.

The meeting that Beaumont is calling to alleviate the crisis is an extended joint-meeting of the World Rugby Executive Committee and Professional Game Committee.