Little appetite for Boks in Six Nations

The All Blacks’ greatest rivals look set to remain in the Rugby Championship despite moving their Super Rugby sides into Europe.

Despite frequent Sanzaar assurances to the counter, the idea of the Springboks shifting into the Six Nations has refused to go away – and was strengthened when the Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks moved into the United Rugby Championship alongside the Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian sides.

However, speaking at the launch of this year’s Six Nations, tournament chief executive Ben Morel told The

that they were ‘‘extremely cautious on the topic’’ of expansion, effectively shutting the door on the Springboks’ inclusion.

Instead, international rugby bosses have prioritised a new crosshemisphere competition starting in 2024, reviving the Nations Championship concept that was shelved in 2019.

The Nations Championship would offer cash-strapped national unions the possibility of increasing their revenue, although pinning it down is likely to prove difficult in a congested calendar.

World Rugby’s test windows in July and November offer the opportunity to structure some form of competition, but if the two top-ranked teams are to face each other in a final at the end of the year, it places additional demands on player welfare and the club seasons in Europe.

The Six Nations’ limited appetite to consider radical change such as the Springboks’ inclusion, or relegation and promotion, may also indicate their reticence to tinker with what has become the best rugby competition in the world.