Newly proposed World 12s tournament dealt blow as World Rugby refuse approval

The newly proposed World 12s competition has suffered a major setback even before kicking off as World Rugby has refusion to provide sanction.

The competition owned by World 12s Limited was set to feature 192 of the world's best players picked via an auction process and is expected to bring an additional £250m revenue into rugby and was dubbed as the Indian Premier League version of rugby.

The tournament was set to scheduled in August 2022 with a women's version also planned in 2023 but a statement from the governing body revealed stakeholders including England's Premiership and France's Top 14 raised their objections.

"The game's major stakeholders welcome innovative thinking that has the potential to enhance the sport, and new concepts are always given full consideration," a World Rugby spokesperson said.

"World Rugby has reflected the views of national unions, international and domestic competitions to the group proposing World 12s and confirmed that stakeholders do not wish to explore the concept further at this time.

"This is a position endorsed by the World Rugby executive committee and professional game committee, which includes representatives from across the elite men's and women's game.

"The priority for the sport is advancing productive discussions regarding the establishment of a welfare-focused, streamlined and harmonious annual international calendar."