Over the past fortnight, the Six Nations has been well and truly set alight. Irish eyes have plenty of reasons to smile, while even the English rose suddenly doesn’t appear as wilted any more. No wonder Guinness and the organisers have branded the 142-year-old tournament as “rugby’s greatest championship”.
This marketing exercise, however, is viewed quite curiously from down in South Africa − curious because how can any rugby competition be regarded as the “greatest” if it does not involve the Springboks?
Although South Africa’s proposed participation in the Six Nations was put on the back burner last year, it could yet prove to be the next seismic shift in the international rugby landscape.
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Plans for the Springboks to join England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in Europe’s premier international rugby tournament this year were mooted as far back as 2022. However, those plans were put on hold when talks between SA Rugby and the private equity enterprise CVC Capital Partners, which struck a £365 million (€438.5 million) deal with the Six Nations in 2021, fell through last year.
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Introducing the Boks to the Six Nations, though, would not only be a logical and life-saving move for SA Rugby but could well provide quite the biggest buzz since the inception of the original Home Nations Championship back in 1883.
As things currently stand, South Africa is the only Tier One rugby nation, on this side of the planet, which is excluded from the Six Nations.
It just doesn’t seem right.
Or is it just a matter of convenience, for the likes of Ireland, France and England, not having to combat the mighty Boks for the title of kings of Europe too?
Ouch!
Be that as it may, the possible inclusion of South Africa will, to my mind, take Six Nations warfare to a whole new level. Having the four-time World Cup champions and reigning Rugby Championship title holders involved will force the current half dozen to up their game like never before.
It could also establish Ireland versus South Africa as a rivalry on a par with that between the Springboks and All Blacks. The Ireland-Saffa rivalry dates back to the original Springbok tour of Britain and Ireland in 1906 and, although the Boks have won 19 of the 30 tests between the two proud rugby nations since then, the Irish have accounted for two of South Africa’s four test losses over the past two years – the last being the heart-stopping 25-24 win in Durban.
They are, of course, also the top two sides on World Rugby’s rankings, with only 1.42 points separating them.
In addition, the financial injection of having the Boks in the Six Nations could be profound, as has been the case with both the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions since the South African clubs entered the fray. URC chief executive Martin Anayi acknowledged last year that more than half the URC revenue comes from South Africa via television and sponsorship, dubbing it a “game changer” of millions.
“It is a huge part of the rugby economy for Europe,” he added.
As far as support up north is concerned, the Boks certainly won’t be short of hands-on encouragement given that 235,000 Saffas reside in the United Kingdom and 16,000 more in Ireland.
The main benefit, from a South African point of view, of the Boks joining the Six Nations party is that it would resolve a big issue regarding their clubs’ participation and boost their competitiveness in the elite Champions Cup.
Not only have all the South African sides crashed out of the 2024-25 Champions Cup, but there is rising concern regarding player burnout, with the top exponents of the game over here, ie the Springboks, still competing in the Rugby Championship, against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, in midyear when the northern hemisphere players enjoy a deserved off-season.
This has prompted Sharks coach John Plumtree to state that the “South African boys are treated like robots”, while former Bok centre and TV pundit Jean de Villiers agrees that South Africa’s rugby assets are being burnt into the ground.
With the erstwhile SA Super Rugby franchises having made the move from the southern to the northern hemisphere, joining the URC and EPCR tournaments to alleviate time zone issues, it will only make sense for the Boks to follow suit and ditch the Rugby Championship for the Six Nations.
This might be the final piece of the puzzle in terms of aligning SA Rugby at large with the northern hemisphere calendar and easing the inhumane workload on Bok bruisers such as Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
So, in a hypothetical world, if South Africa were to enter the Six Nations stage, say, in 2026, exactly 120 years after Paul Roos led the Springboks on their inaugural and triumphant tour of Britain and Ireland, how would the current crop of Boks fare in the European showpiece?
Back in 1906, South Africa only lost to Scotland (0-6) and drew with England (3-3) but saw off Ireland (15-12) and Wales (11-0).
I can see Rassie Erasmus’s side delivering the goods to claim hard-fought wins against Ireland, France, Italy and Wales, and, as in 1906, only suffering a shock loss to Scotland and draw against the resurgent England to claim their maiden Six Nations title.
There you are!
