The Rugby Europe Board of Directors has revealed a new format for its premier men’s competition, the Rugby Europe Championship (REC), starting from 2023. The aim of this change is to boost the development and interest of European rugby at the highest level. It could also attract more bettors to the best bookmakers and their Asian and European counterparts, as there will be more choices available. Keep in mind that these changes apply to tournament B.
Winds of Change
The competition used to be known as Six Nations B. From 2023 onwards, there will be eight nations competing instead of six. With Russia suspended indefinitely for doping violations, three new countries have joined Georgia, Romania, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands: Belgium, Germany, and Poland.
As stated by Philippe Tuccelli, Head of Competitions at Rugby Europe, the expansion aims to create more spectacle and expectations on who will win the annual title by increasing interest in REC from a sporting point of view.
What to Expect
Instead of playing each other once in a round-robin format, the teams will be divided into two pools after the expansion. Georgia, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands will make up pool A. Romania, Portugal, Belgium, and Poland will be in pool B. Each team will play five matches out of 20 in total. Four round-robin weekends will take place in February, followed by playoff matches in March.
The results will be evaluated every two seasons. The team with the least number of points will drop to Trophy Division. While the top team from the second-tier competition will move up to tournament B. All three teams that join the 2023 league have come from Trophy Division so it will be interesting to see who will take their spots and challenge Ukraine, Lithuania, and Switzerland.
The Strategy Behind It All
The new business strategy announced by Rugby Europe’s CEO Florent Marty will also include media coverage. This will offer both a better television product and an improved narrative for fans sponsors and broadcast partners. More sponsors will be interested in investing in continental rugby as more countries are represented. The strategy also depends on extensive digital content on social networks to grow a much larger fan base.
Every sport naturally aims to increase its popularity and improve what it offers to the general public. The success of the new format in achieving this goal will be assessed in the future. What is certain is that professional betting advice will be needed to sort out the profit potentials of the additional options. And there is no better place to start than with the best online sports betting agent. Contact them and they will help you get the most value from your Rugby bets!