The Six Nations: Highs and Lows

The 2016 Six Nations tournament has yet to grab the imagination of the public; with some people suggesting the competition has finally ran its course.

The RBS 6 Nations has been going since 2000 when Italy joined France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland to extend the Five Nations and to be honest a year without this famous tournament would be like losing a limb.

The Six Nations is part of the furniture as far as rugby union goes and the people at Bettingpro.com believe there is still a place for it in the sport.

The main talking point this week is – Is the Six Nations still relevant in this day and age?

The simple answer is yes, but here we list a few reasons why this famous and beloved competition needs to remain.

International rugby union is the sports bread and butter

Without the Six Nations rugby union would be a dying sport. The revenue and interest a single match at Twickenham Stadium, involving England, is absolutely massive and to replace it with a number of friendlies would be criminal.

When England walk out on the hallowed Twickenham turf you want them to be ready to go into battle in a full bloodied Test match and not a friendly game which ends up like a glorified match of tick and pass.

This season’s tournament might not be as entertaining as precious years, but by the end of the competition everyone will agree the better team won and that you cannot wait for next year.

Friendlies will not produce World Champions

Let’s say the Six Nations is replaced with five friendly games against the likes of Romania, USA, Russia, Tonga and Samoa – What would that do the international game in the United Kingdom and Europe – It would ruin it completely.

The likes of England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy need to be testing themselves at the highest level in order to catch the Southern Hemisphere teams. Without the competitive nature of the Six Nations, players will freeze when it comes to the big events like the World Cup and British and Irish Lions Tours.

Helps build a team for the World Cup

The Six Nations is rugby union’s equivalent of the European Championships, this is a tournament that features the best rugby teams in Europe fighting it out to be crowned champions. Without this how are we supposed to beat the likes of Australia, South Africa and defending World Cup champions New Zealand.

The All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies are masters at reaching the latter stages of the World Cup because they are tested to the max in the Rugby Championship – without that tournament they would be in the same boat as England. Argentina, the fourth team in the Rugby Championship, have improved massively since joining the big boys and it won’t be long until they are contesting a World Cup final.

Remember the name Sam Burgess

England’s biggest error in the whole Sam Burgess saga was not selecting him for the 2015 Six Nations, instead they waited until the warm-up games ahead of the World Cup and as we all know that ended up being a disaster.

If Burgess had been selected in the Six Nations squad he would have been able to integrate with the rest of the squad and get to know what international rugby union was about, instead of being thrown in at the deep end without any armbands and left to fend for himself.

England, and no other team for that matter, will ever make that mistake again. No player will be handed two games before a major World Cup and told to perform, he will be used in the Six Nations and see if he is ready for the step up. If players can’t handle the Six Nations, in terms of skill level and atmosphere, then they will not be ready for a World Cup.

Some people will say the experience a player gets in a friendly is invaluable, but playing at the highest level will also make you a better player.

Just give the remainder of the 2016 Six Nations a chance, the tries will start coming and the entertainment level will rise. Don’t wish it away – you will be sorry