Coming into this 2023 World Cup, it seemed that the Springboks had set their eyes on joining the Six Nations. It was what seemed to be the viable option for the Springboks as the time zones, and the style of play was something they took a liking to.
Erasmus the Springbok director voiced that he loves the current challenges that the South African side has in the Southern Hemisphere as some of the best nations are found on this side of the hemisphere, namely South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Erasmus also said that, “Just remember, this is purely my own personal opinion. I don’t need to get myself into any more trouble! I’ve always been a massive fan of the Six Nations. Murrayfield is awesome, the Aviva is awesome, Twickenham is awesome. I love the atmosphere and their rich tradition of singing.”
“Speaking from the South African side of the fence, I would love to see the Springboks in the Six Nations. The style of play, the travel and the time zones would all suit South Africa. You could fly in overnight on Thursday, play on a Saturday and fly back on Sunday. It would be easy. When we go to Australia or New Zealand, you wake up at 2am and don’t know what day it is!”
“We are locked in with the Rugby Championship until 2025, so for now it is still hypothetical. Just please don’t mistake this for me saying the Rugby Championship is bad. I love New Zealand, I love Australia and I love Argentina. Gus Pichot is a legend. If someone with proper research showed me that South Africa joining the Six Nations would make the Rugby Championship weaker and damage the growth of the global game, then we shouldn’t do it. But right now, speaking as a South African, I think joining the Six Nations would be awesome.”
The super league has been shaky since Covid hit, and this knock has caused the rumours of New Zealand threatening to leave the tournament. Reports state that this could all happen as soon as the World Cup ends but this has been dismissed by the claims made by Sanzaar as they stated that all the nations involved have committed to the competition until at least 2025.
The introduction of the new competition could silence most of the noise around everything else as there could be an introduction of a new competition that sees the North go up against the South as Japan and Fiji are set to join the Southern hemisphere side. There will be three fixtures played in July, and then the returning fixtures in November. The number 1 teams will play against each other to see who the winner of the tournament will get, and the rest will play off for rankings.
