Alan Gilpin: World Rugby CEO doubt’s rebel league’s sustainability

Gilpin was keen to stress that World Rugby’s focus was a “huge push across the whole sport to introduce the Nations Championships in 2026”.

It is understood that Rugby Championship organisers Sanzaar, and the Six Nations group, are in talks to host an edition of the finals of the new tournament in Qatar.

While World Rugby is not directly involved in these discussions, Gilpin said the governing body would support investment into rugby “in a sustainable way”.

“As long as those conversations are leading to more money in the sport in a credible way over time, then that’s good for everybody,” Gilpin said.

When asked about concerns around investment from the Middle East and sportswashing, human rights and rugby’s LGBTQ+ community, Gilpin said: “We absolutely have those concerns anywhere we go in the world.

“I think we always have to be careful, we present ourselves to players and fans as a values-led sport.

“We’ve absolutely got to be true to that, that’s why, maybe rugby takes a little bit more cautious steps in this space than other sports do. That’s the right thing for us. We’re going to continue to be cautious, but we’ve also got to be realistic about where are the investment opportunities for the game.”