South African rugby bosses must continue to push for participation in the Six Nations competition. It’s a move that would do South African rugby a lot of good. Although the competition organizers said this week there were no plans to change the current format or composition of teams, including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy, South Africa should join the Six Nations in a tasty be prospect. The thought is that the Boks will replace Italy, which have struggled greatly since joining, but there are other options, such as expanding to seven teams. Time will tell, but I think it’s a good idea….
South African rugby bosses must continue to push for participation in the Six Nations competition. It’s a move that would do South African rugby a lot of good.
Although the competition organizers said this week there were no plans to change the current format or composition of teams, including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy, South Africa should join the Six Nations in a tasty be prospect.
The thought is that the Boks will replace Italy, which have struggled greatly since joining, but there are other options, such as expanding to seven teams. Time will tell, but I think it’s a good idea.
The fact that the world champions play against those top countries every year will benefit both SA rugby and rugby in those countries.
Financially, it will be a huge boost to our game, which has suffered greatly in recent years. Moving north, as our four major franchises have done, will likely also help keep more of our top players in this country.
We’ve already seen some European based men return, or indicate that they might return, and I’m sure that has something to do with the United Rugby Championship entry and the Euros and Pounds involved, and possibly available are for the SA teams.
And by keeping more top players in South Africa, hopefully we can grow and bring the Currie Cup and other local competitions back to where they should be: top notch and with the best going up against the best.
And when that happens, we will probably also see the fans running back to the stadiums, which will be a win for the local unions. We need full stadiums again, but we can only achieve that if we show quality and play the best against the best.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to money, and for SA rugby, the money is up north.
However, there is one major challenge that we cannot ignore – and that is ensuring we have top quality experienced coaches doing their thing at the top level in South Africa.
If the players feel they are not getting what they want from the coaching structures here; that is individual, one-on-one coaching, sometimes by men who can help them really develop and become the best players they can be, they will still try to move abroad.
We’ve heard so many of our players who have gone abroad talk about the quality of the coaching they receive; we have to offer that here too. It’s a bit of a problem in many unions, and something that needs to be addressed quickly.
And I haven’t forgotten the issue of playing against the All Blacks and Wallabies. I think every year there would still be a chance to meet those teams and Argentina, home and away; it just needs some planning and dedication.
If rugby bosses can do it, imagine the Boks playing in the Six Nations and Rugby Championship every year. Now that would be something very special.