Continuing the discussion regarding the professional rugby calendar for 2021, which I posted a few days ago, and a revamp of the Pro 14 tournament that I also proposed, I thought I would attempt to demonstrate how a global calendar could be possible. It’s not easy but is possible.
The idea is to have tournaments play out, making the season easier to follow. There would also be a progression of competitiveness and intensity from domestic competition and concluding with international matches.
- 2022 Professional season runs from February to November. The grass roots game continues to run from August/September to April/May. Minis and Junior rugby enjoy a winter break during December and January.
- The season should be structured to follow progression of competition (Domestic, European, Six Nations, Autumn Internationals) with no overlap of tournaments, allowing for clarity for teams, players and supporters.
- Top 14 starts in the first week in January, with the English Premiership and Irish/Welsh/Scottish/Italian domestic competition at the end of the month.
- Given the weeks allocated to domestic rugby the English Premiership and Top 14 will need to drop their end of season play off system from 2022.
- European Champions/Challenge Cup played after the northern hemisphere summer tours to the south.
- Six Nations pushed to the autumn and played following the completion of European competition.
- 2022 season culminates with the southern hemisphere tours of the northern hemisphere.
- Following the changes of competitions during 2020 the Super Rugby AU competition could continue in Australia and run concurrently with the Mitre 10 tournament in New Zealand.
- Grass roots rugby can continue with the current schedule (September to May). For example, in Wales traditional Christmas and New Year derbies will now feature Welsh Premiership rivalries, such as Pontypridd v Merthyr, Cardiff v Newport and Swansea v Llanelli, boosting interest in local, rather than professional, rugby during the festive period.
This is my proposal for how the rugby calendar could run in 2022 given the teams and competitions currently in place for 2020.
KEY
| Friday Date | Saturday Date | Sunday Date |
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England |
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Wales/Ireland/Scotland/Italy |
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France |
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New Zealand/South Africa/Australia/Argentina |
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January 2022
| Friday 31st | Saturday 1st | Sunday 2nd |
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Winter Break Winter Break |
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Top 14 – Round 1 |
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Winter Break |
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| Friday 7th | Saturday 8th | Sunday 9th |
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Winter Break Winter Break |
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Top 14 – Round 2 |
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Winter Break |
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| Friday 14th | Saturday 15th | Sunday 16th |
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Winter Break Winter Break |
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Top 14 – Round 3 |
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Winter Break |
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| Friday 21st | Saturday 22nd | Sunday 23rd |
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Winter Break Winter Break |
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Top 14 – Round 4 |
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Winter break |
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| Friday 28th | Saturday 29th | Sunday 30th |
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English Premiership – Round 1 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 1 |
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Top 14 – Round 5 |
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Winter Break |
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February 2022
| Friday 4th | Saturday 5th | Sunday 6th |
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English Premiership – Round 2 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 2 |
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Top 14 – Round 6 |
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Super Rugby – Round 1 |
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| Friday 11th | Saturday 12th | Sunday 13th |
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English Premiership – Round 3 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 3 |
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Top 14 – Round 7 |
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Super Rugby – Round 2 |
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| Friday 18th | Saturday 19th | Sunday 20th |
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English Premiership – Round 4 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 4 |
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Top 14 – Round 8 |
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Super Rugby – Round 3 |
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| Friday 25th | Saturday 26th | Sunday 27th |
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English Premiership – Round 5 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 5 |
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Top 14 – Round 9 |
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Super Rugby – Round 4 |
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March 2022
| Friday 4th | Saturday 5th | Sunday 6th |
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English Premiership – Round 6 |
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Welsh, Irish and Scottish/Italian Domestic Tournament – Round 6 |
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Top 14 – Round 10 |
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Super Rugby – Round 5 |
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| Friday 11th | Saturday 12th | Sunday 13th |
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English Premiership – Round 7 |
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Pro 14 – Round 1 |
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Top 14 – Round 11 |
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Super Rugby – Round 6 |
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| Friday 18th | Saturday 19th | Sunday 20th |
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English Premiership – Round 8 |
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Pro 14 – Round 2 |
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Top 14 – Round 12 |
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Super Rugby – Round 7 |
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| Friday 25th | Saturday 26th | Sunday 27th |
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English Premiership – Round 9 |
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Pro 14 – Round 3 |
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Top 14 – Round 13 |
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Super Rugby – Round 8 |
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April 2022
| Friday 1st | Saturday 2nd | Sunday 3rd |
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English Premiership – Round 10 |
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Pro 14 – Round 4 |
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Top 14 – Round 14 |
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Super Rugby – Round 9 |
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| Friday 8th | Saturday 9th | Sunday 10th |
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English Premiership – Round 11 |
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Pro 14 – Round 5 |
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Top 14 – Round 15 |
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Super Rugby – Round 10 |
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| Friday 15th | Saturday 16th | Sunday 17th |
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English Premiership – Round 12 |
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Pro 14 – Round 6 |
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Top 14 – Round 16 |
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Super Rugby – Round 11 |
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| Friday 22nd | Saturday 23rd | Sunday 24th |
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English Premiership – Round 13 |
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Pro 14 – Round 7 |
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Top 14 – Round 17 |
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Super Rugby – Round 12 |
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| Friday 29th | Saturday 30th | Sunday 1st |
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English Premiership – Round 14 |
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Pro 14 – Round 8 |
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Top 14 – Round 18 |
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Super Rugby – Round 13 |
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May 2022
| Friday 6th | Saturday 7th | Sunday 8th |
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English Premiership – Round 15 |
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Pro 14 – Round 9 |
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Top 14 – Round 19 |
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Super Rugby – Round 14 |
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| Friday 13th | Saturday 14th | Sunday 15th |
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English Premiership – Round 16 |
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Pro 14 – Round 10 |
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Top 14 – Round 20 |
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Super Rugby – Round 15 |
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| Friday 20th | Saturday 21st | Sunday 22nd |
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English Premiership – Round 17 |
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Pro 14 – Round 11 |
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Top 14 – Round 21 |
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Super Rugby – Round 16 |
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| Friday 27th | Saturday 28th | Sunday 29th |
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English Premiership – Round 18 |
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Pro 14 – Round 12 |
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Top 14 – Round 22 |
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Super Rugby – Round 17 |
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June 2022
| Friday 3rd | Saturday 4th | Sunday 5th |
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English Premiership – Round 19 |
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Pro 14 – Round 13 |
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Top 14 – Round 23 |
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Super Rugby – Round 18 |
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| Friday 10th | Saturday 11th | Sunday 12th |
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English Premiership – Round 20 |
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Pro 14 – Round 14 |
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Top 14 – Round 24 |
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Super Rugby – Playoff Round |
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| Friday 17th | Saturday 18th | Sunday 19th |
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English Premiership – Round 21 |
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Pro 14 – Semi Finals |
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Top 14 – Round 25 |
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Super Rugby – Semi Finals |
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| Friday 24th | Saturday 25th | Sunday 26th |
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English Premiership – Round 22 |
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Pro 14 – Final |
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Top 14 – Round 26 |
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Super Rugby – Final |
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July 2022
| Friday 1st | Saturday 2nd | Sunday 3rd |
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Summer Tour (First Test) |
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| Friday 8th | Saturday 9th | Sunday 10th |
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Summer Tour (Second Test) |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 1 |
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| Friday 15th | Saturday 16th | Sunday 17th |
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Summer Tour (Third Test) |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 2 |
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| Friday 22nd | Saturday 23rd | Sunday 24th |
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Break |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 3 |
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| Friday 29th | Saturday 30th | Sunday 31st |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 1 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 4 |
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August 2022
| Friday 5th | Saturday 6th | Sunday 7th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 2 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 5 |
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| Friday 12th | Saturday 13th | Sunday 14th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 3 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 6 |
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| Friday 19th | Saturday 20th | Sunday 21st |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 4 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 7 |
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| Friday 26th | Saturday 27th | Sunday 30th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 5 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 8 |
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September 2022
| Friday 2nd | Saturday 3rd | Sunday 4th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Round 6 |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 9 |
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| Friday 9th | Saturday 10th | Sunday 11th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Quarter Finals |
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Mitre 10 Cup/Super Rugby AU – Round 10 |
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| Friday 16th | Saturday 17th | Sunday 18th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Semi Finals |
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Rugby Championship – Round 1 |
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| Friday 23rd | Saturday 24th | Sunday 25th |
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European Champions/Challenge Cup – Finals |
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Mitre 10 Cup – Semi-finals, Rugby Championship – Round 2 |
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October 2022
| Friday 30th | Saturday 1st | Sunday 2nd |
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Six Nations – Round 1 |
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Mitre 10 Cup – Finals, Rugby Championship – Break |
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| Friday 7th | Saturday 8th | Sunday 9th |
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Six Nations – Round 2 |
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Rugby Championship – Round 3 |
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| Friday 14th | Saturday 15th | Sunday 16th |
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Six Nations – Round 3 |
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Rugby Championship – Round 4 |
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| Friday 21st | Saturday 22nd | Sunday 23rd |
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Six Nations – Break |
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Rugby Championship – Break |
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| Friday 28th | Saturday 29th | Sunday 30th |
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Six Nations – Round 4 |
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Rugby Championship – Round 5 |
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November 2022
| Friday 4th | Saturday 5th | Sunday 6th |
|
Six Nations – Round 5 |
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Rugby Championship – Round 6 |
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| Friday 11th | Saturday 12th | Sunday 13th |
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Break/Optional Autumn International |
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| Friday 18th | Saturday 19th | Sunday 20th |
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Autumn Internationals |
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| Friday 25th | Saturday 26th | Sunday 27th |
|
Autumn Internationals |
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December 2022
| Friday 2nd | Saturday 3rd | Sunday 4th |
|
Autumn Internationals |
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| Friday 9th | Saturday 10th | Sunday 11th |
|
Winter Break |
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| Friday 16th | Saturday 17th | Sunday 18th |
|
Winter Break |
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| Friday 23rd | Saturday 24th | Sunday 25th |
|
Winter Break |
||
| Friday 30th | Saturday 31st | Sunday 1st |
|
Winter Break Winter Break |
||
|
Top 14 – Round 1 |
||
|
Winter Break |
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This is just my idea and, although radical in some respects, does show that a proper global rugby calendar can be achieved. It can make the season simpler to follow, none of the issues of “which competition are we playing in this week?”
February 2021
April 2021
July 2021
August 2021
November 2021
Bedwyr Gullidge 