The Six Nations is the gift that keeps on giving as a glorious showcase of this sport, so it is alarming to think that this year’s tournament may be the last one which is a mass-audience event in the UK.
In the coming months, there is a very real danger that this prized rugby asset will be packaged up with the new Nations Championship and sold off to the highest bidder. There is precious little chance of that bidder offering the coverage on free-to-air TV.
Money talks, especially in this age when private equity firm CVC are acting as silent partners behind the scenes, seeking ways to maximise a return on their investments.
So, for all the informal guidance about striking a balance between ‘reach and revenue’, the latter consideration is bound to be given more weight in the broadcast rights deal deliberations.
What it all means is that there is an extra special emphasis on the 2025 edition of the championship. It could go down as the last to have viewing figures in the millions, rather than the thousands. What it will bring, as usual, is that sense of a series of genuinely national occasions; matches which capture the imagination of the public at large.
It will be on the news — on channels everyone can see. Clips will circulate on social media, maybe with the odd ad thrown in, but without a paywall. Clubhouses will be full every weekend and even the pubs which don’t pay for expensive subscriptions will have signs and bunting outside, and big screens on showing the games inside. Why would —anyone throw this away? Why would anyone not want this for their sport — one which is too often invisible to the majority of people in the British isles?
England’s box-office superstar Marcus Smith goes over for a memorable try in Lyon last year
France fans bring colour to the stands every year and rugby needs to protect its fanbase
Those who decide on the next move should be absolutely clear about the long-term implications of dimming the light which shines on rugby at this time every year. Extra income might shore up bank balances and make a nice return for CVC, but future generations won’t recognise Test players as much. Stars won’t be born.
So, folks, enjoy it while you can. It will be a treat, as usual. Sure, the old championship is too rigid and set in its ways, creating a barrier to upwardly mobile European countries such as Georgia and Spain. It is too cosy in protecting the chosen few. But it always works as a fervent celebration of national identity and neighbourly antipathy.
Every year, there is huge anticipation and very little clarity about what the hell is going to happen. The Six Nations makes the unexpected a matter of routine. Twists and turns are locked into the script. France are the stand-out favourites this year which means, going on past evidence, that they could collapse in an ugly heap in front of our eyes.
Frankly, that is hard to imagine. Toulouse are the best team in Europe right now and if they were in this, they could win it. France also have a contingent of dazzling fliers and artists from Bordeaux.
They have power and pace. They have Antoine Dupont; that one-man cheat code. If they click, they could be unstoppable. But they have no Gael Fickou for now, and they must play England and Ireland away from home.
The Irish will set about their title defence without Andy Farrell on hand to inspire them, as he is now on secondment to the Lions. That won’t help. They will rage at the growing notion that they have passed their collective peak.
Unless the coaching upheaval derails them more than is expected, they will have more cohesion than any other side. They will be in the hunt again.
Scotland believe they can be up there with the Irish, but such optimism is an annual feature of the championship ritual north of the border. Win. Hope. Win again. Wild excitement. Crash and burn. Mass dejection. That pretty much sums it up.
Young fans won’t want to be the next Antoine Dupont if they can’t watch the France star play
Scotland will again look to Finn Russell to provide those moments of magic that win matches
Maro Itoje starts his reign as captain with England in desperate need of a strong Six Nations
They will badly miss captain Sione Tuipulotu, but they still have Finn Russell’s genius, Duhan van der Merwe’s finishing power and a pack full of edge and tenacity. They could flourish or fade.
The same could be said about England. Steve Borthwick is under big pressure now, but not as much as Warren Gatland, as Wales stare down the barrel of a 13th successive Test defeat when they go to Paris on Friday.
For Italy, there is a desire to mark the 25th anniversary of their championship entry by securing a top-half finish. They will target the Welsh in round two and hope that can be a launch-pad.
Recent law changes shouldcreate absorbing spectacles and a Friday-night opener, France v Wales, will whet the appetite with light shows, thrills and spills.
According to the World Rugby rankings, this is how the teams could finish: Ireland, France, Scotland, England, Italy, Wales. This column will make some tweaks and suggest the following alternative: France, Ireland,England, Scotland, Italy, Wales.
Meanwhile, a background factor will be Lions selection, but let’s park that until this great event comes to an end. Over the next two months there is only one show in town. What a shame if this is the last time it is viewed and enjoyed on a grand scale.
Andy Farrell is wise to stay away from the other nations and avoid any conflict of interest
Lions boss Farrell right to stay away
Andy Farrell is understood to have decided not to visit any of the home nations in camp during the Six Nations, in his temporary capacity as Lions head coach.
That is a good call. While the four countries will be working together in a common cause this summer — as the great and the good of British and Irish rugby seek to conquer the Wallabies in Australia — for now there is the usual ferocity of cross-border rivalries to consider.
Farrell’s day-job is to run the Ireland team, so it could be viewed as a conflict of interest if he asked to have access to any English, Scottish or Welsh training, tactics and planning at this juncture. That was certainly the case in 2017, when Eddie Jones informed Warren Gatland that he couldn’t visit England in camp until after they had faced Wales.
The best bet, as Farrell has realised, is to settle for strong lines of communication, with feedback from each nation, along with the evidence of his own close-up view of all relevant matches.
Once he has finalised his Lions management team and picked a squad and captain, there will be ample time for ideas-sharing before the Test series against Australia.
Borthwick’s task gets more daunting
As if it wasn’t going to be hard enough already… days after Steve Borthwick gave an update on England’s growing casualty list, he will have ruefully noted that Ireland are being reinforced at just the right time to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at his team on Saturday.
Hooker Dan Sheehan scored two tries in his first appearance of the season as Leinster thrashed the Stormers from Cape Town 36-12 in Dublin on Saturday.
Both of his strikes were set up by wing James Lowe, who was also making his comeback from injury and proving he can be match sharp in time to face the English on the opening weekend of the Six Nations.
He and Sheehan will train this week in an Ireland squad featuring a core of players from Leinster, who have played 14 games so far this season and won the lot. For Borthwick and his team, these are not positive omens.
Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan scored two tries for Leinster on his first appearance of the season after sustaining a knee injury in Ireland’s summer tour of South Africa
Last Word – Rugby is about passion and bravery not glitz and glamour
The premiere of season two of the Netflix series Full Contact, about the Six Nations, took place in Rome last week and it was a very glossy production. Too glossy.
While rugby is desperate to tap into a new, younger market, the approach in this case seemed wrong. All the initial focus is on fast cars, logos and shiny teeth. There is a concerted attempt to make the sport look like a spin-off of Drive to Survive — the Formula One series.
It is all about ramping up the glamour, but rugby can present a different type of appeal. It is earthy and raw, brutal and passionate. It forces those who participate to demonstrate remarkable bravery and often bare their soul in a punishing, common cause.
That is its magic. Maybe that sort of thing wouldn’t excite younger viewers, but it was worth a shot. It is not all about sunshine, palm trees and bling, it is about big hits and pain, wind and rain and exhaustion. If the game can be showcased in its true, warts-and-all form, it can captivate anyone.
