The Six Nations is the best international rugby tournament in the world — and it would be even better with South Africa’s inclusion and Italy’s exclusion.
Italy hasn’t won a Six Nations Test since 2015 and by the time you read this, they would have lost 33 successive Tests in the championship.
They add no value to what is a wonderful event, but the world champion Springboks, ranked No 1 in the world, would transform the nature of the tourney, geographically and in terms of muscle.
The All Blacks will always be globally competitive, but the decline down south is obvious and in last November’s internationals up north the Springboks were the only southern team to finish with an enhanced reputation, despite a last-minute defeat to England in the final match of their tour.
Australia lost all three Test matches to England, Scotland and Wales respectively, Argentina were a mess and the All Blacks were emphatically humbled in Dublin against Ireland and in Paris against France.
The balance in playing power certainly sits with the north, even though the Springboks and All Blacks will always feature prominently at World Cups. The duo has won the last four World Cups.
Australia have consistently struggled, in the Rugby Championship and on their northern tours; Argentina were stronger when their squad played in the French Top 14 and English Premiership; and New Zealand, since the 2017 drawn series against the British & Irish Lions, have looked vulnerable after a decade of dominance.
The Springboks, having selected their best overseas-based players, are the strongest of the Rugby Championship teams and the forward-orientated style of play is a perfect fit for the Six Nations.
Italy’s continued participation is a waste of time.
The Six Nations, internationally, is where the money is for the Springboks and all the talk is that the Boks will be playing their big tournament rugby up north after the 2023 World Cup. It is long overdue.
The Rugby Championship, formerly the Tri-nations, served a purpose in the formative years of professional rugby, but SA’s future financially is in the north.The northern hemisphere club structure also now sets the standard, where once it was the Super 12 in the southern hemisphere.
The French Top 14 is a brutal competition, the English Premiership has always enjoyed a strength versus strength presence and the United Rugby Championship, with the introduction of the four primary South African franchises of the Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks, will grow into a fabulous competition.
The Springboks are signed into the Rugby Championship until 2030, but then SA’s Super Rugby franchises were also signed into a deal until 2030.The traditionalists in SA will call it madness not to play the All Blacks every year, but every country up north survives with irregular Tests against the All Blacks.
Eddie Jones’s England played the All Blacks just once between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and they weren’t the weaker for it. The Boks won’t lose anything by playing the All Blacks less. In fact, they will gain far more in overall winning percentages.
Everything about the professional landscape points the Springboks north, sooner rather than later.There are no time zone issues and matches in SA would be a European broadcaster’s prime-time dream. This also goes for the South African pay channel SuperSport.
The Six Nations (formerly Five Nations) has a proud 140-year history and it also has financial clout in the professional age. CVC Capital Partners has a 14.3% ownership of the tournament, which is valued at R7.5bn. CVC also has an investment in the URC and English Premiership.
SA Rugby’s bosses have for the past year been in discussions with CVC, and once that deal is sealed, the only loyalty will be to the new investors up north and not to anyone down south. And rightly so.
• Mark Keohane is the founder of Keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the content director at Highbury Media.
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