Six Nations and Sanzaar face new battle with World Rugby in bid to scrap relegation

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The Six Nations and Sanzaar are facing another battle with World Rugby over a desire from some unions to ensure that none of them can be relegated from the Nations Championship, as reported by Matt Hughes in the Guardian. The 10 leading unions have set up a new company, F10, to run the tournament and sell its commercial rights, sparking concerns that founding members such as Wales and Italy might seek guard rails to protect themselves from relegation to the second tier. The creation of the Nations Championship was approved by the World Rugby Council in 2023 on the proviso that it would be an open league with promotion and relegation introduced from 2030. Sources indicate that any attempt to ringfence the founding members would require council approval and could reopen a risky debate.