'Some rugby nations are going to disappear': How the Nations Championship is fuelling an existential crisis - Tier Two players paid 50 times less, a mass exodus to league and why 'have nots' scoff at proposed promotion to 'closed shop'

World Rugby's new Nations Championship, featuring a 12-team elite, is deepening the divide between top-tier and lower-ranked rugby nations, with Tier Two players reportedly earning 50 times less than their elite counterparts. Smaller nations traveling to Europe for competition face severe financial constraints and lack of media exposure, raising fears about their long-term survival. Critics from lower-ranked countries have dismissed the prospect of promotion into what they describe as a 'closed shop,' warning that some rugby nations could effectively disappear.