The Six Nations gets underway this weekend, with the best international rugby teams Europe has to offer competing for what is colloquially known as 'rugby's greatest championship'.
England and Scotland will face each other for thee Calcutta Cup, with the historically significant silverware important to the game in Britain. Elsewhere, France travel to Rome for a fixture of a more continental clash while Ireland make a short hop over the Irish sea to Cardiff as they take on Wales.
However, this tried and tested formula could yet be blown out of thee water, with South Africa beginning to be touted as a potential participant in the tournament amid continued discussions over the future of international rugby. The topic has become heated, with Italy having endured a long run from 2015 to 2022 without winning as South Africa's rugby became ever more aligned with Europe.
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South Africa traditionally participate in the Rugby Championship against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina. However, in recent years, their rugby has become more aligned with their European counterparts as South African teams joined the Pro-14 in 2017 alongside Irish, Italian, Scottish and Welsh clubs in what has become latterly known as the United Rugby Championship.
This has become a commercial success, with four South African teams now competing in the URC and the expansion of the Heineken Champions Cup to this season include three teams from South Africa. This shows South Africa's increasing gravitation towards European rugby, with the move being described as a step towards the Six Nations for South African clubs.
However, this has been met with controversy in Europe, with the traditional Six Nations having become a huge tournament in its current format, outperforming the Southern Hemisphere equivalent. There is no denying The 2019 world champions' commercial strength as one of superpowers of the game, but their inclusion which could come as soon as 2025 would not be a good idea according to one Irish legend.
Alan Quinlan, who won two Heineken Cups with Munster and 27 caps for Ireland has said that the move would be a bad one for the sport. he told Six Nations Odds: "I think it would distort things. The tournament has got so much history and tradition. And I just think it would damage competition. I love the fact that South Africans are in the URC.
" I think they've been brilliant. They've made it really intriguing and interesting. They've strengthened the competition and the quality of the competition. But I wouldn't be a fan at the moment of South Africa coming into the Six Nations."
There have been no talks which are confirmed to have happened between the unions, but with the direction of travel it would be of no surprise should such a move take place in the coming years.
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