Boks eye the Six Nations
SOUTH AFRICA are intent on joining the Six Nations after telling the Rugby Championship they are exploring a move to a different tournament.
The world champions compete annually with southern hemisphere countries New Zealand, Australia and Argentina but Rugby Championship CEO Brendan Morris confirmed the Boks are eyeing a switch north.
“They did put us on notice they were exploring their options – that was well before Christmas,” said Morris.
“Everybody has to do their due diligence in exploring what competitions to be involved in and what provides the best opportunity for the best commercial outcome.
“The Six Nations, World Rugby...in all walks of life people are exploring their business models at the moment.”
Despite the distance involved, the Six Nations would be an appealing landing pad for the South Africans given its prestige and financial clout.
They have already switched their Super Rugby franchises to play in the United Rugby Championship and will enter European competitions next season in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.
The timeline around a parallel move for the Springboks would appear to be 2025 with South Africa informing their Rugby Championship partners they cannot commit beyond that.
The Six Nations have been cautious on altering the status quo, resisting calls for the introduction of promotion and relegation despite Italy’s run of 34 straight losses.
Adding an extra team, while it would sort out the annual imbalance between home and away fixtures for each country, would raise player welfare concerns.