THE UNITED RUGBY Championship [URC] has indicated its willingness to bring games to Qatar in the future.

The plans will potentially start with pre-season matches and training camps but could develop into bigger fixtures being hosted in Qatar down the line.

The URC has signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with the state-owned Qatar Airways and will now look at options for taking rugby to the Middle Eastern nation.

Qatar will host this year’s football World Cup and has been working hard to bring more international sport to the country. The URC’s new deal with Qatar Airways should help with travel to and from South Africa as part of the championship, but it is likely to also be the first step in a much broader partnership involving clubs training and potentially playing in Qatar.

Martin Anayi, the URC’s chief executive, said that there are no immediate plans to bring actual URC fixtures to Qatar but competition organisers will begin exploring other options.

“I think it’s a process actually, and I know that sounds super corny,” said Anayi at the URC launch in London today.

“Our championship games and Champions Cup games are so important to our clubs and the fans of those clubs. To take any of those games away from a home crowd is really difficult.

“We’ve had this conversation around do you take games to the US, which is slightly less challenging logistically or from a conceptual point of view as there have already been games in the US.

“It’s going to be really hard to take a championship game to Qatar but can you take baby steps?

“Can we have winter training camps like football have in Qatar? Can you take pre-season matches to the air-conditioned stadiums and take full advantage of the legacy they want to achieve there? Can you set up new competitions? Can you help Qatar rugby?”

The Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Xinhua News Agency / PA Images Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images

Qatar has faced international criticism for its treatment of migrant workers who have helped to build stadia for the football World Cup, while Amnesty International has also raised major concerns about women’s rights, LGBTI people’s rights, and freedom of expression in Qatar.

Anayi was asked how hard the URC had to think about its new agreement with Qatar Airways in light of those issues.

“Our view around these issues, obviously we ask the right questions and try to be as positive as possible,” said Anayi.

“Qatar Airways was voted the world’s best airline, it means a lot to a lot of people. All through Covid, it has become an airline which they grew from four planes to 300 aircraft. It’s about growth, it’s not just about being in the Middle East, it’s worldwide. It ties with our own ambitions of being global and having an appeal. It’s a premium carrier and we want to be more premium.

“At the same time, what they can take from a partnership with a rugby competition is that we stand for great values and stand for championing those values. They are about legacy post-FIFA World Cup in December. What do they do after that and can rugby and its values be part of that conversation going forward? Rugby has never been that in Qatar and the Middle East.

“I think rugby is a really positive voice in that conversation. I lived in the Middle East for my whole childhood, my dad is an Arab, he’s from Iraq. I understand that the cultures are different. My mum’s Irish, so I understand they’re very different.

“I think rugby and Western values around rugby especially are more pertinent than ever in the Middle East. And they are open to having those conversations around progress. Sport is a big part of that conversation of how they progress, how they’re seen to be progressive, and I hope we can be part of that.”

Simon Easterby will lead the Emerging Ireland tour.

Meanwhile, Anayi said the URC doesn’t expect the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa later this month to have any great impact on the league competition. 

Ireland will bring a squad of over 30 fringe and young players on a three-game tour, clashing with several rounds of the URC. The IRFU has indicated that its frontline Ireland internationals will be available for URC games during the game period.

Anayi said he understands why the IRFU has arranged the tour and indicated that the URC needs to bring in a cup competition to help with the development of young players.

“We’ve looked at that because there’s actually a good rationale for them doing that tour,” said Anayi.

“What’s been explained to me is that it’s not the international players or first-rankers, it’s the next crop. The fear was because in those [URC] matches the first rankers are going to be playing that perhaps this group that’s going on tour wouldn’t get enough game time and that was a concern to the IRFU.

“I understand that because part of what URC was about was trying to make games of a higher quality. We always talked about having a cup competition which would be perfect for that rationale of bringing players through and giving them game time.

“We weren’t able to bring that to fruition this year. If we had put the cup competition on, they wouldn’t have had a need to go and do this tour. Because we didn’t, they’re going and doing this tour.

“Does that impact the URC? Hopefully not because the first-ranked players are playing in the URC games. That’s what the URC is all about.”