In 2028, the Wallabies<\/a> were set to tour New Zealand for three matches, before the All Blacks<\/a> would go on a similar tour to Argentina<\/a>, while the Springboks<\/a> would also have toured Australia.<\/p>\n However, that has been binned with a full Rugby Championship instead, taking place that year after the 2025 edition went right down to the final weekend of action.<\/p>\n SANZAAR\u2019s announcement on Thursday all but confirms that the \u2018Greatest Rivalry\u2019 tour will debut in 2026 with the All Blacks scheduled to face off against the Springboks three times in South Africa \u2013 and once at an international venue \u2013 while also tackling the four URC franchises. The Boks are then set to tour New Zealand in 2030 with a similar playing schedule.<\/p>\n In another big shift, the Rugby Championship will resume in 2027, and it will be a FULL\u00a0tournament played over July and August. Previously, a shortened competition would take place in Rugby World Cup years, but that will not be the case in 2027, as the member unions have made the decision to better prepare the four nations for the World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cImportantly, it will also deliver for the first time a full Rugby Championship (TRC) tournament in a Rugby World Cup year (2027), allowing the SANZAAR nations an excellent preparation and run-in to the tournament,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n SANZAAR International Rugby Calendar 2026-2030<\/p>\n What happens to the Bledisloe Cup in 2026 and 2030?<\/p>\n With the Springboks and All Blacks alternating multi-week tours in 2026 and 2030, SANZAAR has confirmed that the Bledisloe Cup will still be competed for during those years.<\/p>\n Australia and New Zealand are set to collide in the October following the \u2018Greatest Rivalry Tours\u2019, but it has not been confirmed how many times the Wallabies and All Blacks will compete during those years.<\/p>\n However, Waugh has thrown his backing behind the series\u00a0returning to the best of three Tests, which has not occurred since 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that everyone probably wants a three-match Test series,\u201d Waugh said on Stan Sport.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the big challenges right across world rugby is just the calendar and how do you ensure that your scheduling allows it to happen, and obviously player welfare and fatigue is a big part of that, but you have to think about the actual concept [and if] you think about successful tournaments and series, they\u2019re normally an odd number and best of three.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have the opportunity to play three Tests, then I think that it\u2019s a logical step next.\u201d<\/p>\n World Rugby\u2019s Nations Championship<\/p>\n The calendar also includes the proposed Nations Championship to be played in 2026, 2028 and 2030.<\/p>\n The concept will see the twelve biggest rugby nations in the world, packed with the best players in the sport, meeting across two rounds of fixtures in July and November every two years to decide the dominant nation and the balance of power between rugby\u2019s hemispheres.<\/p>\n The format of the competition is set to include a \u201cEuropean Conference\u201d, consisting of the Six Nations [England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales] unions, and a \u201cRest of World Conference\u201d comprising the SANZAAR nations, in addition to the two invited unions [reportedly Fiji and Japan].<\/p>\n Following positive meetings with rugby\u2019s major stakeholders in Dublin today, here is the proposed Nations Championship format. pic.twitter.com\/7lOzBgHWC7<\/a><\/p>\n![\"SANZAAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SANZAAR-International-Rugby-Calendar-2026-2030-1024x576.jpg\")
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