• Advertise
  • About us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Australian Times News
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
Australian Times News
No Result
View All Result
Home Sport

Don’t Put Your Money on South Africa Joining the Six Nations in 2025

Every country is keen to come out on top and the ultimate ambition must be to achieve the Grand Slam by winning all five games.

Alan Aldridge by Alan Aldridge
24-02-2022 19:08
in Sport
Don’t Put Your Money on South Africa Joining the Six Nations in 2025

Don’t Put Your Money on South Africa Joining the Six Nations in 2025. Image credit: "RSA vs USA 64:0" (CC BY 2.0) by @sebastian1906

It’s the rugby competition that fans not just in Europe but all over the world look forward to every February. Held when the very worst of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter weather is due to be over, the Six Nations Championship is the chance to see who from England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, France and Italy will prevail.

France Look the Team to Beat This Year

Take a look at the 2022 Six Nations betting and you’ll see that it’s the French team who are the firm favourites this year with odds of 4/7. They certainly started off in fine form with victories over Ireland and Italy. Turn to Italy, however, and it’s a very different story. In 16 of the 20 years they have been part of the competition, they have come bottom of the six. The only records they have set have been in points conceded – 239 in 2021, an average of over 47 a match – and in the biggest-ever losing margin of 57 points when England beat them 80–23 in 2001.

“Scrum” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by abragad

This poor run of form has led some in the rugby world to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if a more competitive team altogether could be included in their place – with South Africa being a leading contender. There have also been rumours that Italy could retain their place and a Seven Nations competitition could be held instead.

Could South Africa Actually Join?

The inclusion of the Springboks could be good for them, providing international rugby for the team in their late summer. The fact that the country is in approximately the same time zone as where the current matches are played would be a good fit for broadcasters.

But, although this proposed change to the current order of things would not happen until 2025 at the earliest, it seems likely that it’s not going to happen at all.

That’s because the Six Nations organisers have now stated that it’s certainly not on their agenda for now, or even for the future. The prevailing opinion from the governing bodies of the countries currently included is also that the status quo should be preserved. Add to this the fact that Italy would have to agree to withdraw and it all becomes even more unlikely. For a start, they would need to be heavily financially compensated – and it is a country that is committed to developing the sport so this would be a distinctly retrograde move.

The inclusion of South Africa would possibly also have a knock-on effect for future British Lions tours, including starting a bidding war between the US, Argentina and Japan for the 2033 expedition.

AlsoRead...

French Open: Carlos Alcaraz proved he already has Grand Slam-winning mentality after second-round win

French Open: Carlos Alcaraz proved he already has Grand Slam-winning mentality after second-round win

11 July 2022
Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal might give Nick Kyrgios a pass into Wimbledon finals

7 July 2022

It’s the rugby competition that fans not just in Europe but all over the world look forward to every February. Held when the very worst of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter weather is due to be over, the Six Nations Championship is the chance to see who from England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, France and Italy will prevail. Every country is keen to come out on top and the ultimate ambition must be to achieve the Grand Slam by winning all five games.

France Look the Team to Beat This Year

Take a look at the 2022 Six Nations betting and you’ll see that it’s the French team who are the firm favourites this year with odds of 4/7. They certainly started off in fine form with victories over Ireland and Italy. Turn to Italy, however, and it’s a very different story. In 16 of the 20 years they have been part of the competition, they have come bottom of the six. The only records they have set have been in points conceded – 239 in 2021, an average of over 47 a match – and in the biggest-ever losing margin of 57 points when England beat them 80–23 in 2001.

This poor run of form has led some in the rugby world to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if a more competitive team altogether could be included in their place – with South Africa being a leading contender. There have also been rumours that Italy could retain their place and a Seven Nations competitition could be held instead.

Could South Africa Actually Join?

The inclusion of the Springboks could be good for them, providing international rugby for the team in their late summer. The fact that the country is in approximately the same time zone as where the current matches are played would be a good fit for broadcasters.

But, although this proposed change to the current order of things would not happen until 2025 at the earliest, it seems likely that it’s not going to happen at all.

That’s because the Six Nations organisers have now stated that it’s certainly not on their agenda for now, or even for the future. The prevailing opinion from the governing bodies of the countries currently included is also that the status quo should be preserved. Add to this the fact that Italy would have to agree to withdraw and it all becomes even more unlikely. For a start, they would need to be heavily financially compensated – and it is a country that is committed to developing the sport so this would be a distinctly retrograde move.

The inclusion of South Africa would possibly also have a knock-on effect for future British Lions tours, including starting a bidding war between the US, Argentina and Japan for the 2033 expedition.

So, while it may look like an appealing idea on paper, it’s never going to work out in practice for a number of reasons, but predominantly for financial ones. And, in any sport, these are often the most powerful of all.

So, while it may look like an appealing idea on paper, it’s never going to work out in practice for a number of reasons, but predominantly for financial ones. And, in any sport, these are often the most powerful of all.

Tags: CEcLfsppCncSP
DMCA.com Protection Status

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER

[mc4wp_form id=”2384248″]

Don't Miss

Weather Forecast 16 August 2022

by Adamu
16 August 2022
May's Weather Forecast
Australia Weather

Be prepared for any weather with our daily weather forecast for Australia.

Read more

Horoscopes: 15 August 2022 – Monday

by Adamu
15 August 2022
Free Daily Horoscope - Astrology
Horoscopes

Keep your karma positive with these daily free horoscopes!

Read more

Weather Forecast 15 August 2022

by Adamu
15 August 2022
May's Weather Forecast
Australia Weather

Be prepared for any weather with our daily weather forecast for Australia.

Read more

Horoscopes: 14 August 2022 – Sunday

by Adamu
14 August 2022
Free Daily Horoscope - Astrology
Horoscopes

Keep your karma positive with these daily free horoscopes!

Read more

Weather Forecast 14 August 2022

by Adamu
14 August 2022
May's Weather Forecast
Australia Weather

Be prepared for any weather with our daily weather forecast for Australia.

Read more

Horoscopes: 13 August 2022 – Saturday

by Adamu
13 August 2022
Free Daily Horoscope - Astrology
Horoscopes

Keep your karma positive with these daily free horoscopes!

Read more

Weather Forecast 13 August 2022

by Adamu
13 August 2022
May's Weather Forecast
Australia Weather

Be prepared for any weather with our daily weather forecast for Australia.

Read more
Load More

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status

  • About us
  • Write for Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • T&Cs, Privacy and GDPR
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status