In a move that has rocked the core
of Northern Hemisphere rugby, the Rugby Football Union is understood to be busy
making plans to join SANZAR as early as 2018.
The move has been heavily
pushed by current head coach, Eddie Jones, who says that winning the Grand Slam
this season was hollow given the quality of opposition they faced.
“Let’s face it, Italy will
never be good as long as I have breath in my lungs, the Celtic nations are
coached by Kiwis and the Frogs only care about football,” the former Australian
coach said in a statement to media at Twickenham.
The Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Italian and French unions have expressed their delight echoing a recent ad on BBC One that was banned - it showed supporters crying "England" as the team they would love to see lose. A French rugby official was quoted as saying that Georgia would take England's place as soon as they left.
If England does join SANZAR,
they will compete in an expanded Rugby Championship and play in hot summer
conditions at Twickenham. Plans are also underway for Super Rugby to expand to
include English teams.
While traditionalists have
mooted the likes of Leicester and Northampton to fly the flag for England
against the might of the Highlanders and Sunwolves, the RFU has made noise of a
possible London based Super Rugby franchise based at Wembley Stadium and formed
from the merger of Harlequins, Wasps, London Irish, Saracens and London Welsh.
Harlequins captain Chris
Robshaw commented, “The jerseys will be even more multi-coloured than ever.”
The NZRU, SARU and ARU
declined to comment while the UAR has said “Ei karamba!”
