> Can national Rugby union teams compete for championships outside of the IRB?

Can national Rugby union teams compete for championships outside of the IRB?

Posted at: 2014-07-08 
What that would take would be the formation some sort of rival or alternative governing body -- similar to the way that the Rugby Football League split off from the RFU in the 1890s. It would be a major undertaking given the way that the IRB dominates the sport right now, but technically not impossible. The short answer would be: could some sort of alternative championship organization be formed? Yes. Is there currently such an organization? No.