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Underdog Pichot issues encouraging message to rugby's emerging nations
By Josh Raisey
The idea of a global rugby calendar is something that has been flirted with for years, but one that has never been acted upon. The sanctity of tournaments like the Six Nations have proven to be an obstacle to any progress being made in the past, but an aligned calendar between the northern and southern hemispheres is a topic that is becoming increasingly popular.
World Rugby chairman hopeful Agustin Pichot recently said that this idea of a global game is one that he will not simply be “paying lip service to” as he mounts a challenge for Bill Beaumont’s position ahead of the World Rugby elections.
This is one of the ex-Argentina captain’s main pledges, which he has been keen to reiterate on social media. He recently said on Twitter that “there has to be a stage where we align the whole global calendar, thinking of emerging nations as well”.
Such a seismic shake-up to the global calendar will face stiff opposition, but the former scrum-half has emphasised how this will benefit emerging nations across the world and provide them more opportunities to play against the top-ranked sides.
The rugby league calendar is aligned so that the Super League and the NRL play concurrently. This is easier when there are only two leagues to contend with, but it not only makes the organisation of international fixtures and tournaments easier and fairer, it also opens the door for high profile club fixtures such as a World Club Challenge.
The prospect of pitting the best of the two hemispheres against each other in union has been discussed at length recently, and there is no doubt a global calendar would facilitate that.
As the weeks pass, this will be a point that Pichot will continue to put forward ahead of next month's election.
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I think you're misunderstanding the fundamentals of how negotiations work, thinking the buyer has all the power. To look at just one rule of negotiation, the party with options has an advantage. I.e. if you are an international 10 with a huge personal brand, you have no shortage of high-paying job opportunities. Counter that to NZR who are not exactly flush with 10s, BB has a lot of leverage in this negotiation. That is just one example; there are other negotiation rules giving BB power, but I won't list them all. Negotiation is a two-way street, and NZR certainly don't hold all the cards.
Go to commentssorry woke up a bit hungover and read "to be fair" and entered autopilot from there, apologies
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