“If it ain’t broke”
Does the 2025 version of the Six Nations mean that it needs a revamp? My initial reaction is to say no.
The current pattern looks like this: England win all their matches; France win all theirs except against England; the other four fight tooth and nail, to provide the really tight annual competition we would prefer.
The attitude of the 6N board has tended to be conservative (with a small ‘c’); the men’s and women’s versions used to run in parallel. The recent changes they’ve introduced – a different time-slot and Super Saturday for the women – have worked well, but neither was truly ground-breaking.
The latter did reveal the board’s concern though.
Apart from having one big blast on the same afternoon with three matches, the England-France fixture has been placed last to act as the dramatic climax. Last Saturday’s game could hardly have worked better.
We still have the same six nations participating. The last change came eighteen years ago, when Italy replaced Spain. The Spanish union has been fighting against the tide ever since, and many claim Italy have not proved they were worthy of their promotion. The Azzurre are the only team never to have beaten England (though to justify that, we have to go back to the Home Championship in the last millennium). Scotland and Wales’ achievements have been scarcely better.
Alternatives?
Promotion and relegation: in the men’s version that would lead to the disintegration of the relegated nation, financially crippling. In the women’s, less so, but in both cases the promoted team would face exactly the same prospects of failure. For the men Georgia is a favoured addition; in the women’s the winner of the European Championship, a sort of Division Two. But they have been Las Lobas of Spain for many years, and the fear is they too would struggle to survive in the 6N. If they were given time, they have the structures and resources to thrive. How patient would the great public be before demanding their demotion again?
The BBC has an idea
The BBC’s prominence has cast a searchlight on Sara Orchard’s proposal (www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cn4jdqyn499o). But it has met with a shower of doubting responses.
Much is made of the length of time each nation has enjoyed contracts; far less of their nature. Even at the top, with France and England, there is a massive gap in their size and scope. And since few, if any, national unions have money to throw around, no narrowing of standards is in prospect.
Second, little attention is paid to the player-pool each nation enjoys. Even if we accept the notion, “the bigger the contract, the more women and girls will be attracted into the game”, it will still leave vast discrepancies between the nations with a population of between 3 and 5 million (Ireland, Scotland and Wales), and the other three (between 59 and 69 million). Unless rugby happens to be the national sport (New Zealand? The Pacific islands?), I see little chance of increasing the chance of permanent success.
At present Ireland have a number of outstanding players, but they still failed to overcome Scotland away. All the better for the well-being of the 6N in general.
Deduction: we are never likely to see the six nations so closely aligned that every result is uncertain.
If we wanted to introduce another nation to provide real competition, rankings tell us the first and nearest choice would be Canada. But how would the treasurers of other nations react to paying for trips to Vancouver or Edmonton on a regular basis? Once again, options are limited by the money available, and Rugby Canada remains one of the unions with the tell-tale “donations welcome” prominent on their website.
Within the British Isles
The abiding weakness is the prime position England holds. Large numbers of Scottish and Welsh players join PWR clubs to further their personal standards with the highest quality rugby and the best off-field support obtainable.
Fewer Irish players come across because their league, the AIL, and the Interpros provide the nearest equivalent in standards to the PWR. That’s why I keep hoping for revamped Scottish and Welsh leagues to tempt their players back to their native heaths. Apart from anything else, it would give the following generations thre chance to see their heroes close up, offering inspiration.
WXV
This enterprise was devised to help solve some of the problems that stretch far beyond the 6N. The two showings thus far have revealed great potential. World Rugby and the committee directly in charge have promised to look at a revamp. They should include venues (tiny crowds thus far) methods of qualification and pools-structure.
They have given the lesser lights a meaningful target, more frequent than the World Cup. Ireland’s recent advance came partly as a result of their achievements in Vancouver.
Finale
There’s that curious word ‘Tradition’. Many rugby fans see the Six Nations as an annual treat. Any major adjustment would come close to a sort of sporting blasphemy. The radical fresh approach has its advocates too. Who would win a mighty battle between the two conflicting parties?
That’s for the Six Nations board to decide. I don’t envy them their responsibilities.
In Part Three I take a look at the six teams in turn.
