JEFF PROBYN

THE news that South Africa have signed an extension to continue in the Rugby Championship until at least the end of 2025 seems to have put a hold on the idea that they will join the Six Nations making a seventh nation or replacing Italy in the competition.
However, it is just a hold, as they are effectively just extending until the current Rugby Championship TV deal comes to an end.
South Africa have always been a likely candidate for the Six Nations as the nearest Tier 1 nation on the same time-line as Europe, and the current world champions could still swing it as commercially...