Damian de Allende of the Springboks breaks past Tomos Williams of Wales before scoring his team’s first try during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between Wales and South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on October 27, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Springboks likely to join the Six Nations after 2023 World Cup
The Springboks are close to securing their place in the Six Nations tournament and are likely to leave the Rugby Championship after 2023.
Damian de Allende of the Springboks breaks past Tomos Williams of Wales before scoring his team’s first try during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between Wales and South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on October 27, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Reports have emerged claiming that negotiations to have the Springboks join the Six Nations for the 2024 edition of the championship are in advanced stages.
Springboks closing in on Six Nations
An unnamed source told UK tabloid, the Daily Mail, that ‘Things are falling nicely into place’ regarding discussions between SA Rugby and the Northern Hemisphere competition.
The reports suggest that the Six Nations, rugby’s oldest multi-nation tournament, will expand to seven teams. Some have suggested dropping struggling Italy from the championship but it seems more likely that an extra round of action will be added.
A move to the Northern hemisphere has been mooted for some time and has the backing of several prominent figures within South African rugby including Schalk Burger and Schalk Brits. Both played club rugby in the northern hemisphere.
The timeframe for the Springboks addition has yet to be set in stone but there is an air of inevitability about the move with interest in Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship on the decline.
Adding the Springboks to the Six Nations would be a huge boost to the tournament drastically increasing its value as a television product.
The Springboks departure from the Rugby Championship might pave the way for the addition of Japan and/or Fiji, but it is also likely to take some of the lustre away from the tournament that started as the Tri-Nations in 1996.
Participation in the Rugby Championship is becoming a burden for SA Rugby with long haul flights impacting the players ability to compete. Playing in the Northern Hemisphere would eliminate the problem of jet-lag as well as freeing up the Rugby Championship to add Japan and Fiji.
Japan and New Zealand becoming bosom buddies
Despite winning the World Cup in Japan, the Boks are unlikely to want to trek to Japan on top of trips to Australia and New Zealand for a tournament that offers SA Rugby diminishing returns.
The Six Nations stand to gain tremendously from the addition of the Springboks and the format of the tournament should keep the rivalry between South Africa and the likes of Wales, England, Ireland and France relatively fresh.
The Springboks would then also have the option to conduct bilateral tours to Australia or New Zealand in the winter to maintain those rivalries.
New Zealand’s increasing ties with Japan mean that rugby’s international and major provincial tournaments are in need of a shakeup.
If the Springboks leave the Rugby Championship, it is likely SA Rugby will pull its four franchises from Super Rugby and seek new opportunities in the north.
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