Ever since its formation, the Six Nations has been a highly anticipated fixture on the rugby calendar, especially for the fans of the countries involved.
It’s fair to say that you’d also be hard pressed to find any fans of rugby union from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy, who don’t enjoy the tournament. What’s more, amongst these respective fanbases, it’s also a fair claim that the Six Nations’ popularity is as strong as ever.
However, it does beg the question of what the rest of the world thinks about the competition, particularly those from rugby powerhouses in the Southern Hemisphere like South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. So, we’ve attempted to find out.
We’ve spoken with a number of rugby legends and former players from various Southern Hemisphere sides to get a better understanding of how the Six Nations is viewed and perceived by our rugby allies around the world.
Here’s the ‘Southern Hemisphere’s Perspective’:
Bob Skinstad’s Views
We first spoke with a former Springboks legend and Rugby World Cup winner, Bob Skinstad, to get his thoughts:
RP: What are your views on the Six Nations as a tournament and how is it viewed in South Africa?
“Growing up - and I’m even going back to the Five Nations here - it was the only international tournament of note and I fondly remember watching it in the early 90s as a youngster with my dad; us having only just got BBC reinstated on TV in South Africa. So I absolutely love the competition, and there are many incredible players and characters etched in my brain and my memory now forever.
“Whether it’s the running French, the incredibly buoyant Welsh, ebullient Italians, the plucky Irish, nuggety Scots, the classy English I think it’s fantastic. Also due to the time of year it’s played, the rugby is so starkly contrasted with how we play rugby here in South Africa and you often see the great images of the scrums with guys looking like there’s smoke coming off them with their frosted breath!
“Don’t get me wrong, not everyone in South Africa grew up the same way as me; I was in a very pro-international household. England was my dad’s rugby team before South Africa had a proper team, my mum was born in Ireland so there was a rivalry there, so it was easy to get and see the appeal of the ‘overseas’ teams. That said, I would say all of the rugby population in South Africa did and still does watch the Six Nations; it’s incredibly popular.”
RP: Can you think of any games or standout players and performances that stand out to you from Six Nations history?
“Oh, absolutely. I was still a youngster then, but I do remember the day that David Sole did his famous slow walk when Scotland needed to beat England. Then there was Scott Gibbs scoring late for Wales to beat England at Twickenham, and also Wales winning the tournament was huge news around the world.
“More recently though the Irish teams and some of the victories they’ve had have been impressive. But, what’s really great is there’s always something to play for with it.”
RP: It’s safe to say then that you’d have loved to have played in the Six Nations, right?
“Definitely, the depths and variance of the teams would’ve been a great environment to play in. Also, it’s not like I’d have found it any easier or anything, the nuances are very different. You also get to watch cracking games and then play the day after on the weekend. Maybe I should’ve made the most of my Irish passport when I had the chance [laughs]?”
RP: What if things were different and the Springboks were involved? How would they get on?
“I don’t think we’d win it easy every time, although we don’t like to lose! We’d be very competitive and obviously the overnight flight we’d need to do would be a big factor. Although it would be good for the squad’s attitude and mentality. Getting the other nations over here too would be fantastic.”
RP: On the subject of travelling overseas, what do you make of the player eligibility requirements for sides like England?
“I’m a little more liberal than some of the old school thinkers and I feel that players should play wherever they want and where they best get paid.
“At the end of the day, it’s a vocation, and a hard vocation at that; it’s a 10-year journey maximum for most players, maybe 15 years if you’re lucky enough. Although, if you do stick with one club for 15 years you probably won’t have earned as much as you perhaps could have moving elsewhere.
“I do think this misses the point a bit though. To me, the point here is: get the best players and the best clubs in the world playing against each other in the top tournaments. Then, if the window is right, allow the international coaches to pick the best players for the top international competitions and you’ll get the best results and the best level. If you put your egos at the door and recognise what’s best for the game. It’s pretty simple.”
RP: Would you say part of the Boks’ success is because you have players playing all over the world?
“100%. I remember when I started playing and touring, you’d get guys like the du Plessis brothers, who’d never really left South Africa and who came from a more conservative background, really struggling and finding it difficult to travel. But as soon as they started going abroad - be it school tours or other tournaments on the other side of the world - it was a big turning point for them, and by the time they were 21, they thrived.
“Another thing no one really thinks about with these eligibility rules is that when a player goes and plays internationally, it hugely benefits their abilities. You expand their knowledge base, you expand their linguistic skills and you expand their participation in the game. For instance, every Springbok who went to Japan has come back either speaking at least some Japanese, or they’ve learned all about a new rugby environment. This’ll put a potential coaching career in front of them and they understand more about world rugby.
“You look at people like Rassie Erasmus and Pieter-Steph du Toit, they’ve been all over and they’re happy to do it, but in the end they’re winners. You know Pieter-Steph du Toit is playing with Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett in Japan at the moment, does that make him a worse player? One Man of the Match in a World Cup final later, so I don’t think so.
“The reason I’m so passionate about this is because playing rugby for a living is fucking hard, it really is. You come out of a rugby career you’ve likely given up or sacrificed some or all of your academic career for and it’s not as lucrative as say football when you’ve finished. Internationalisation of the game creates amazing opportunities and it’s unfathomable to restrict it all.”
RP: So, what you’re saying is that the Six Nations will benefit from countries relaxing these rules?
“Definitely. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I think there will be a narrowing of the focus and eventually less clashing on things like positions, operations and who’s in charge and more focus on the game.
“To me you can just surmise this as three main points that can be addressed: Are your players playing in the best environment for them to be the best? - No. Are you playing your team against the best teams they can play? - That’s a no. Are your participating sides absolutely focused on the wellbeing and best outcome for your union? - Also, no.”
David Campese’s Views
To get the Australian point of view, we spoke with one of the all-time greats of rugby union, David Campese. Here’s what Campo had to say:
RP: How popular is the Six Nations in Australia?
“I remember back in the day in the 90s, the Six Nations used to have its own TV show in Australia and it was hugely popular. Over the years though things have changed, and especially when it’s just after the World Cup like now, there’s just not as much interest in it as there once was.”
RP: What do you think would help boost this interest for Australian fans?
“This doesn’t just go for Australian fans, but one thing I’d really like to see - if you want to make its popularity grow - is whoever ends up last in the tournament should play against other Northern Hemisphere sides who are in a second tier.
“You know, you look at teams like Portugal and Romania who performed well in the World Cup, why can’t they play at the same time? Then whoever wins that Pool can play the last side in the Six Nations and get promoted into it. Isn’t that what we’re trying to do in rugby? It’d make it more competitive to say the least.
“Portugal were unbelievable in the World Cup, and so were Georgia, because they had nothing to lose! They embraced it and without as much pressure on them, they played decent rugby. Their involvement in a theoretical second tier would naturally create more interest and help promote the game. There’d be the typical logistical stumbling blocks with this, but what would also help would be if they played some of the games in other venues.
“I tell you what else would be good is if the winner of the Six Nations played the winner of the Championship teams, then you can say who is the best team in the world in that year. Why can’t they do that? Maybe they could play two games, one home and one away, you’d definitely fill up the stadiums then.
“Another thing they could do is play the under-20s as a curtain raiser for each game. You’d then get fans asking things like “who’s he?”, “who’s that player?” and “where’s he play?” and it drives engagement for the next generation. You get to see two games as well [laughs]! It won’t happen though as that’s too much common sense…”
RP: What about the way the game is actually played in the Northern Hemisphere, how does that impact how interesting it is to a global audience?
“We have a problem in Australia in that we have 26 million people and four football codes, and if we don’t ‘entertain’ with our rugby union, we lose more and more fans and players - and you can apply the same here.
“Then when you compare how the game is today with my era…the scrum took 11 seconds, not like the three-minute ones you get now - and people don’t want to see a three-minute scrum. A scrum isn’t what it used to be either, it’s just about penalties, it’s boring. You know it’s quite ironic as well seeing Warren Gatland after the World Cup complaining about the Springboks for this reason, but wasn’t there something called ‘Gatland Ball’ when he was coaching Wales?
“The amount of kicking is also ridiculous, but that’s what’s happened to the game. Sides are too scared to try something different, and to make our game a better game we need to stop all the penalties and TMOs every five seconds.
“The great games are the fast ones and ones that are close, that’s what people want. To go back to that point I made earlier, we need to remember we’re in an entertainment business and if we don’t entertain, people go elsewhere.”
RP: What are your thoughts on the different player selection policies for certain sides and how that affects the Six Nations?
“I played in Italy when I was playing for Australia and that was all approved by the Union, but I think the difference now with players is they’ll most likely have about 10 years to make as much money as they can, so I do understand why they want to move.
“Also, if you take Japan as an example, the rugby they play there is exciting, it’s fast, they don’t get red cards, they aren’t bashed like they are in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s phenomenal and I think that’s the way rugby will eventually go. But then you look at the stars that go there and then come back to Super Rugby or whatever, they’re still fresh and they get a lot out of it.
“We can sit and talk all night about what we can and can’t change here, but the Six Nations is meant to be an international sporting arena with international sports stars. The more spectacle there is, the more people are going to want to watch.”
RP: So you’re saying it’s a good thing for international rugby if players get to play all over the world?
“Yeah I agree with that, but the other thing you need to realise with the current rules is that if the players do come back and return to the international fold, they can be negatively affected.
“Beauden Barrett is a good example, I remember he spent six months in Japan, came back and played a test and he was lost. It just shows that if you aren’t playing regularly with your national side, you lose the continuity; the teams that win tournaments are the ones that play together as much as possible.
“Owen Farrell’s only going to Racing 92 for the money and that’s fine, if that’s what he wants to do let him do it, but if he returns to the England team, he’ll just go missing. The more you are together, you glue together and you need that when the pressure’s on.”
RP: Speaking hypothetically, how do you think Australia would fare in the Six Nations in its current format?
“At this moment we wouldn’t do too well, but as the Six Nations is so rooted in tradition, the dates wouldn’t get moved and you get the Australian players coming over at the end of their season. I think if it moved to June or July it’d be much fairer for everyone involved. You don’t want a freezing cold day where everyone is just kicking the ball.”
RP: You’ve mentioned a number of areas that could be improved, but what aspects do Australian fans find interesting about the Six Nations?
“Yeah people will still watch in the millions, especially if the games are close. I think there’s the interest from fans in guessing who is going to play, what changes will be made; it’s particularly intriguing after a World Cup. But like I said before, you’ve got to be entertaining to keep them interested.”
Andrew Mehrtens’ Views
From one Antipodean legend to another, to get New Zealand’s view on the Six Nations we chatted to All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens. Here’s what Mehrts told us:
RP: When it comes to the Six Nations, what are your personal thoughts and feelings towards it?
“I’ve got huge respect for anyone who plays in the Six Nations, mainly for playing so many games against such tough opposition in such a short space of time. Plus, there’s huge amounts of history to each fixture; it must be so demanding. I’d say this level of respect probably extends to a lot of current and former Southern Hemisphere players too.
“As a tournament it’s always seemed to me to be a bit more revered and austere than say our Southern Hemisphere competitions and I think that’s down to the sheer magnitude of the matches.
RP: Do you have any notable memories of the tournament?
“All the colourful jerseys from back in the day stick in my head and I’ve always been in awe of the crowds and the atmosphere you get at the Six Nations. Funnily enough, I saw Will Carling had posted some highlights on social media the other day and that reminded me how during his time they played some absolutely cracking and really intense rugby.
“Also I remember when I was playing we’d be watching the games in the middle of the night during our pre-season in glorious summer weather and then you’ve got these really heavy, almost alien-looking weather conditions, be it near blizzards or just seeing Murrayfield being dark at like 3pm [laughs]. And then you just see these big teams smashing one another in it.”
RP: Would you have liked to have played in the tournament?
“Absolutely, with the historical nature of these fixtures I’d have loved to have played and experienced a full house at any of those iconic venues.”
RP: What about New Zealand as a nation, how is the Six Nations perceived there?
“I remember back when I was playing with the All Blacks, we’d always be on the lookout each year to see which Celtic nation could beat England and ruin their chances [laughs]! The rivalries there [in the Six Nations] are always great to see and you can see the delight in whatever nation it was that managed to take England down. These days with a world-class Ireland and a more consistent France, it’s much less of an upset seeing England beaten in the Six Nations of course, but for New Zealanders it’s always intriguing to watch these big battles.
“Generally speaking though, it’s the older generations who have grown up watching All Blacks tours coming across in November and December, who have a greater awareness of the Six Nations. However, as a nation now, it’s fair to say we’re very focussed on the All Blacks; not to the extent where we write the Six Nations off, but perhaps where we don’t give it the full respect it deserves.
“I also think the game is a bit different and subsequently there’s a perception it’s maybe not as exciting in the Northern Hemisphere, but obviously that’s not true. What’s interesting though is any New Zealander who will come from overseas to watch these games will then appreciate the true spectacle and the magnitude of the event.
“So really the more people see of the Six Nations the more they get into it - I’ll always say to them, if you love rugby, come see the Six Nations. But I do believe there’s still a way to go for New Zealand to truly appreciate it.”
RP: So how do you think we could broaden the appeal of the tournament to New Zealanders?
“I think a big part is just driving more awareness of it. We haven’t always had a lot of Northern Hemisphere competitions on TV and I think the more we can see it, the more they’ll engage with players in those leagues. It’ll also give us a bigger appreciation of the talent.
“The benefit here though is that it is getting easier and easier to access this kind of content at any time. Whether it’s a highlights package or some behind the scenes videos, this visibility will help with more engagement from New Zealanders.
“I know there’s also been talk of moving the Six Nations to later in the year, but ultimately I’m not sure that would work either. You look at it from the organiser’s perspective, they fill the stadiums and they get great crowds - and you can’t argue that it’s not a fantastic thing to see.
“That said, what they could do is look at shortening the domestic competitions in the Northern Hemisphere. The Top 14 for instance is incredibly long with the European games and it inhibits the creation of a more ‘global season’.”
RP: What about changing the format of the competition?
“I’m not a sports scientist, but I’d say the mix for the games is pretty spot on. You can’t really compact it more than this as it’ll cause issues with player safety. Also if you do compact it, the teams with the most depth have an advantage and it’s not as competitive.
RP: Some South African ex-pros have said it can be easier to engage with the Six Nations as they have players playing abroad, what do you make of that?
“Well, yeah I get that because they’re selecting Springboks who are playing overseas, which means the South African fans are still following their players when they’re playing abroad - like Cheslin Kolbe with Toulouse for instance. So that makes it a bit easier to get the appeal of the Six Nations to the South African market.
“But, they also get an easier timezone to manage, ours aren’t particularly helpful for letting us engage with Northern Hemisphere rugby.”
RP: What about changing things up with selection policies? Would that make a difference?
“Ultimately, we always want the best players available for each nation, but I don’t think how things are set up now is really a problem.
“It’s funny in rugby how all the unique selection policies for each country affect the game. The All Blacks is obviously quite competitive, but at the end of the day it’s open to every New Zealander - and that works for us. Although perhaps allowing New Zealanders to play in other nations in our timezone - like Japan - would help the financial burdens on the governing body.
“Saying that, you could argue the All Blacks’ style of rugby is a bit ‘one-trick-pony-like’ and homogenised and therefore a little restrictive. So having more overseas influence can bring in different styles and can help make the sport more accessible to more types of players - I mean how South Africa play can show you that.
“I don’t necessarily think changing up all the policies will make a huge difference to the Six Nations. You take England - and I’ll always stop short of criticising England - they have the ability to play so well, I think the real issue they might have is they’re not totally sure what type of game they want to play. But regardless of whatever issues they may or may not supposedly have with who’s playing, no opposition goes into a game against England and thinks it’s going to be straightforward.”
RP: Theoretically speaking, how do you think New Zealand would fare in the Six Nations?
“Look I don’t think the All Blacks would go unbeaten, which probably makes me a minority in New Zealand as most of us would be like “Nah we’ll easy win it!” [laughs]. I’d like to think we’d be top three year in year out, as we’re consistent for sure. The games would definitely also be up there with the most prestigious outside of the World Cup.
“But this is another thing that makes the Six Nations great is that you go from playing a fast game in France to a real slog at Murrayfield - I know the All Blacks haven’t lost to Scotland in our entire history, but we definitely wouldn’t go in there overly confident.
“There’d also be a lot more pressure on the All Blacks as all the other sides would see us as a real scalp. Along with South Africa, there would be huge pressure on the Southern Hemisphere nations facing that intensity every match - it’s probably tougher than the World Cup!”
