Plans to add South Africa to the Six Nations have been scrapped after an impasse in talks with the tournament’s investors.
The drive to bring better balance to the South African rugby calendar led to reports linking the Springboks with an exit from the Rugby Championship to join the northern hemisphere tournament.
Springboks playing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship or the other European leagues currently go straight from league action into mid-year Tests in July and then the Rugby Championship in August, before the November Test window and then go straight back into action for their respective clubs.
Last year, SA Rugby reportedly proposed the Rugby Championship be shifted to earlier in the year with the caveat that, if change wasn’t forthcoming, they would consider pulling the Boks out of the competition from 2025.
However, according to Sunday newspaper Rapport, the speculated move to the Six Nations is now off the table.
This comes after talks with CVC Capital Partners over an investment in SA Rugby reached a stalemate. The private equity company is a major investor in the Six Nations, with a long-term investment agreement worth £365 million (about R7.6 billion) announced in 2021.
SA Rugby are now reported to be in discussions with potential American investors, Ackerley Partners.
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