Overview of the events of 2017 in rugby union
This page covers the major events of 2017 in rugby union.
International tournaments
Northern hemisphere national teams
- 3 September 2016 – 20 May 2017: 2016–17 Rugby Europe International Championships
- 24 September 2016 – 24 April 2017: 2016–17 Rugby Europe Trophy in Portugal, the Netherlands, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, and Switzerland[4]
- 3 February – 18 March: 2017 Women's Six Nations Championship in England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales[5]
- 4 February – 4 March: 2017 Americas Rugby Championship in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the United States and Uruguay[6]
- 4 February – 18 March: 2017 Six Nations Championship in England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales[7]
- 11 February – 19 March: 2017 Rugby Europe Championship in Belgium, Georgia, Germany, Romania, Russia and Spain[8]
- 22 April – 3 June: 2017 Asia Rugby Championship in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea[9]
Southern hemisphere national teams
Club tournaments
Northern hemisphere clubs
Southern hemisphere clubs
Rugby sevens
Headlines
- 13 March – The two Paris-based clubs in the Top 14, Racing 92 and Stade Français, announced plans to merge into a single club, effective with the 2017–18 season.[10]
- 16 March – World Rugby announced details of a new global rugby calendar taking effect after the 2019 Rugby World Cup and running until 2032. Highlights include:[11]
- The June Test window will be shifted to July, allowing Super Rugby to conduct an uninterrupted season.
- The windows for November Tests and the Rugby World Cup will move forward by a week.
- The new July Test window will include opportunities for "Tier 2" nations, among them Canada, Georgia, Japan, the Pacific islands, Romania, and the U.S., to host tours by Tier 1 national teams. WR stated that the number of annual matches between Tier 1 and Tier 2 national teams would increase by nearly 40 percent.
- In the years following Rugby World Cups, SANZAAR nations (Rugby Championship participants) will only play two July Tests.
- 19 March – Racing 92 and Stade Français announced that their planned merger had collapsed following major resistance, including a strike by Stade players.[12]
- 9 April – Super Rugby organiser SANZAAR announced that the competition would drop three of its 18 teams after the 2017 season. Australia will lose one of its five teams, and South Africa two of its six. The affected unions were to determine which franchises would be axed.[13]
- 10 April – RugbyWA, the governing body for the sport in Western Australia and operator of the Western Force, one of two Australian sides in danger of being axed from Super Rugby, announced that it had brought legal action against the Australian Rugby Union regarding the process of determining the franchise to be contracted.[14]
- 10 May – World Rugby announced significant reform of its Regulation 8, which covers international eligibility:[15]
- From 31 December 2020 forward, the required period of continuous residency in a country for purposes of international eligibility will increase from three years to five. (This only applies if a player does not qualify for that country by birth, or by the birth of a parent or grandparent in said country.)
- Effective immediately, individuals with 10 years of cumulative residency in a country who are not previously tied to another national team will be eligible for that country, even if they do not meet the continuous residency requirement.
- Effective 1 January 2018, a member union cannot nominate its under-20 national team as its "A" side. This means that playing on or against a U-20 national team will not bind the player to that country at senior level. (Note that a 15-a-side match cannot bind a player to a given national union unless both the player's team and its opposition are senior or "A" national sides.)
- Effective 1 July 2017, rugby sevens players will not be tied to a national union until either of the following events occurs:
- They play for a senior national sevens team after reaching age 20.
- They represent a national team in the Olympic sevens tournament or Rugby World Cup Sevens after reaching age 18.
- 30 June – BBC Wales reported that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings, the two most likely South African teams to be dropped from Super Rugby, would join the European Pro12 competition as early as the 2017–18 season.[16]
- 7 July – The South African Rugby Union announced that the Cheetahs and Kings would be dropped from Super Rugby.[17]
- 1 August – Pro12 organiser Celtic Rugby Limited announced that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings would be added to the renamed Pro14 competition from the 2017–18 season forward.[18]
- 10 November – The 2017 induction class of the World Rugby Hall of Fame was enshrined at a ceremony held at the Hall's facility in Rugby. Inductees were:[19]
- 15 November – World Rugby announced that France would host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[20]
- 26 November – The 2017 World Rugby Awards were presented at a gala in Monaco:[21]
- Men's Player of the Year: Beauden Barrett, New Zealand
- Women's Player of the Year: Portia Woodman, New Zealand
- Team of the Year: New Zealand Women
- Coach of the Year: Eddie Jones, England
- Breakthrough Player of the Year: Rieko Ioane, New Zealand
- Men's Sevens Player of the Year: Perry Baker, United States
- Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Michaela Blyde, New Zealand
- World Rugby Referee Award: Joy Neville, Ireland
- World Rugby Award for Character: Eduardo Oderigo, Argentina
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Marcel Martin, France
- IRPA Try of the Year: Joaquín Tuculet, Argentina (vs. England)
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Richie McCaw, New Zealand and Rachael Burford, England
Significant deaths
See also
References
External links