SIX NATIONS MUST STAY FREE TO AIR

FREE to air must stay. The current free-to-air broadcast deal expires with this Championship and Six Nations chiefs are courting pay channels, with Amazon Prime, Sky Sports and BT Sport circling. Viewing figures so far in 2021 have been huge, offering a reminder that BBC and ITV provide the best possible platform to project the Championship and wider game. Restricting access to captivating spectacles like Scotland v Ireland and England v France would dent reach at a time when rugby is fighting for relevance against other sports and entertainment.