Rassie Erasmus this week poured cold water on any hopes of the Springboks joining the Six Nations, insisting the northern hemisphere isn’t ready – and maybe never will be. “There are a lot of traditions that are more valuable than us just fitting in,” Erasmus said. “This is a competition with deep heritage. I’m not sure if we can just walk in and be accepted,” he added.
Erasmus might have a point. Many Six Nations purists are staunchly opposed to the idea of expanding one of the world’s oldest international sports competitions. A Ruck.com poll revealed that 64% are against expansion, with only 36% in favour. Rugby royalty Sir Ian McGeechan has voiced support for adding the Bokke, but he opposes the concept of relegation, another long-debated format change. Financially, it would be advantageous for the Six Nations to include a team with the clout of South Africa, provided it remains a closed shop without relegation, which could spell financial ruin for a relegated union. However, without relegation or further expansion, how do tier 2 teams develop and improve? And how does this align with World Rugby’s core goal of increasing global participation?
Time to look at football
Relative to VAR, the application of the video referee in rugby union has been looked at with envy by football fans for years. Now, perhaps, it’s time for rugby union to learn something from football, specifically the Nations League.
For years, fans bemoaned the bore fest that was the international football friendly window. In 2018, UEFA decided to replace it with a competition consisting of four leagues, ranking from A, where the best teams compete, down to D, where the lowest-ranked teams compete. Each league has several groups. Simply put, the group winners in Leagues B, C, and D get promoted, while those who finish bottom of the groups in Leagues A, B, and C are relegated. While rugby union has never suffered from boring games in the way football often does, there could be a way of increasing global interest and participation right under World Rugby’s nose. Use the existing July and November test windows to play competitive games in a Rugby Nations League.
Currently, there are 113 men’s teams listed on the World Rugby rankings. Using the format of the UEFA Nations League, the top 4 teams (currently New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and France) would form group A and play against each other home and away – three games in July and three games in November. Group B would contain England, Australia, Argentina, and Scotland. Group C would include Fiji, Italy, Georgia, and Wales, and so on. At the end of the six games, the top team gets promoted, and the bottom team gets relegated. This format would create skin in the game for otherwise inconsequential international test games and be a far more democratic and entertaining proposal compared to the Nations Cup/Championship proposed for 2026, which is effectively a Tier 1+ competition. A Rugby Nations League, on the other hand, delivers both top-class clashes between the best in the world and a chance for lower-ranked teams to develop.
Ranking format and schedule
World rankings could be based on league positions or continue to be decided using the current format. The trickier conundrum is scheduling. One option would be for the tournament to take a break during World Cup and Lions Tour years, as is currently proposed for the Nations Cup/Championship. Another option would be to add three tests in June for the years with a Lions tour, with ‘first choice’ players going on tour with the Lions and the donating nations using their June tests to blood new players.
Whichever route is decided, a Nations League for rugby would establish an annual global event with huge commercial opportunities while significantly enhancing engagement and development opportunities within the sport.
Eireannach Thar Lear 