It’s north v south in rugby’s big global gamble as Nations Championship begins

Ireland’s squad take a ferry in Sydney in advance of their opener against Australia. Photograph: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenIreland’s squad take a ferry in Sydney in advance of their opener against Australia. Photograph: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile/Getty ImagesIt’s north v south in rugby’s big global gamble as Nations Championship beginsFor better or worse, the inaugural edition of the inter-hemisphere tournament launches with even more long-haul flights in a drive to attract greater interestBrave is one word for it.

Let’s launch a must-see global rugby tournament in direct opposition to the football World Cup, Wimbledon, the Open and Formula One. Necessitating even more long-haul flights and an enlarged carbon footprint in an era of soaring jet-fuel prices and climate-change concerns. And with some of the world’s most box-office players unavailable.

Right-ho.Welcome, for better or worse, to the inaugural Nations Championship, which kicks off in Christchurch, Tokyo, Sydney, Cardiff, Johannesburg and Córdoba next weekend. Spot the odd ones out, by the way.

Yes, contrary to the atlas, Cardiff and Tokyo are now southern hemisphere venues. For various reasons Fiji are “hosting” Wales beside the swaying palms of Tiger Bay while Japan, for the sake of numerical convenience, are in with the traditional southern powerhouses.Marcus Smith vows England will ‘leave it all out there’ against South AfricaRead moreNone of which massively enhances the North v South concept that is the new biennial men’s competition’s supposed raison d’être.

Instead of traditional touring, the feeling is that greater interest – and more broadcasting dollars – can be driven by realigning everything under the same umbrella or – more appropriately in Europe just now – beach parasol. The upshot is six games per nation followed by a November finals weekend in London with a Ryder Cup-style aggregate scoring system to identify the strongest hemisphere.Which is a plausible idea, in theory, but less than fair and equitable to all.

If England were to travel to Suva to play Fiji – they last did so in 1991, incidentally – imagine the competitive advantage the home side would gain. Instead the two teams will face off at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, the plan being that Fiji will potentially earn more cash from the arrangement. The longer-term rationale is to build up sufficient reserves to improve their own facilities and give talented Fijians a better chance to pursue a rugby career at home.

Hopefully the good people of Cardiff, Liverpool and Edinburgh will make them feel suitably welcome but, in terms of the tournament’s integrity, there is an uneasy, colonial-style whiff of one rule for us and another for the rest. It is a similar story for Japan, who host Ireland in the Australian city of Newcastle after the Irish balked at playing in Tokyo as well as Sydney and Auckland on three consecutive July weekends. As for Georgia and everyone else outside the elite, they remain stuck beneath a reinforced glass ceiling with no hard and fast guarantee of promotion as things stand.

England, mind you, have been poring over their crazy itinerary and wondering if the UK-based Fijians have it relatively easy. If somebody wandered into a branch of Trailfinders to book a 26,000‑mile round trip from London to Johannesburg to Liverpool to Santiago del Estero and back to London inside three weeks, they would be quietly led away for counselling.All that Steve Borthwick and his players can realistically do is put a brave – that word again – face on it.

The organisers, not yet able to put Qatar Airways’ name above the door as title sponsors, will certainly hope England put up a decent fight at Ellis Park and that France do likewise against the All Blacks in Christchurch to launch the concept with a bang. Initiatives are to be welcomed but only if the quality of rugby on the field benefits.With South Africa and New Zealand primed to rekindle the grand old touring concept in August under the banner of “the Greatest Rivalry” we will not have to wait long to discover which format most forcibly grabs the public imagination.

The beauty of a proper tour used to be getting to know a country and its people and enjoying the fluctuating narrative of a multi-Test series. And don’t we already have a World Cup next year to crown the best of the best?View image in fullscreenAntoine Dupont is lined up for a rare southern hemisphere appearance for France against Australia in round two.

Photograph: Benoît Tessier/ReutersBut in this frantic digital age it is primarily about attracting eyeballs and maximising bottom lines. And there are some potentially juicy July storylines out there, not least Dave Rennie’s first outing as the new All Black coach, buoyed by the Hurricanes’ domination of Super Rugby, against the Six Nations grand slam champions. Not all France’s star names – including Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Thomas Ramos – will be involved but Antoine Dupont