‘World Cup Of Rugby Clubs’- Highly Unlikely… For Now

Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal has been dealt a blow in his bid to hold a ‘World Cup of Rugby Clubs’.

The Toulon owner has spoken of his desire to schedule a fixture between his team and the winner of the 2013 Super Rugby competition, which will be eith the Chiefs, Bulls, Brumbies or Crusaders.

Boudjellal told Sud Ouest that he had “put the name of ‘World Cup of Rugby Clubs’ to INPI (French Nation Industrial Property Institute)…as you imagine it does not exist… ”

However, it appears unlikely that such a contest will take place, with Jean-Pierre Lux, president of European Rugby Cup Ltd, revealing that Toulon do not have the right to play a match under the premise of being European champions.

“Under the terms of the European Rugby Cup participation agreement that they signed before the competition, the clubs do not have the right to play such a game as European champions especially against the winner of the Super 15, it is stated in the agreement,” said Lux.

“I totally understand that he wanted to do something, but Mr. Boudjellal does not have the latitude to organise such a game,” he added.

There may be hope of a North v South match-up sometime in the future though, with Lux conceding that the idea did have merit.

“It’s a good idea,” he said. “We have long been in discussion with SANZAR to set up a match like this but it faces the problem of the calendar. The Rugby Championship begins two weeks after the final of the Super 15 and I do not see the New Zealand Rugby Union, for example, allowing a third of its internationals to go play a game in Europe on the eve of the Rugby Championship.”