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Rugby Union officials are considering moving all future men’s Six Nations matches to Saturdays in a bid to boost the appeal of the championship. Serious consideration is reportedly being given to scrapping the Friday and Sunday games and instead extending the popular Super Saturday concept to the final weekend.
The staggered kick-offs and the three-match series on the same day have been huge successes for TV audiences, while the seven most-watched matches of the 2024 Six Nations have all been played on Saturdays. Conversely, the three men’s Six Nations matches with the lowest TV audiences in the UK this year – Wales v France, Ireland v Italy and Italy v France – have all been played on Sundays.
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This would be welcomed by many travelling supporters, who would be spared the logistical difficulties of, for example, playing Friday night matches in Cardiff. The 2025 Championship is also due to start on a Friday, with France hosting Wales on 31 January, but several federations are said to be in favour of a return to Saturday-only matches.
The proposal is one of a number of ongoing programming debates as administrators in both hemispheres consider how best to expand rugby’s global audience and maximise revenue. The planned launch of the new biennial Nations Cup tournament in 2026 is also high on their list of priorities, with a lucrative £800m, eight-year proposal to stage a Super Bowl of Rugby finals weekend in Qatar being tabled.
No final agreement has been reached but, despite the potential financial benefits, some major unions are said to be reluctant. In addition to the human rights situation in Qatar, the relative lack of travelling fans could impact ticket sales and the atmosphere in stadiums. According to some sources, the talks are now entering a decisive phase.
The British and Irish Lions are meanwhile still negotiating the match schedule for next year’s tour of Australia. As well as finding alternative opponents to replace the now-defunct Melbourne Rebels, problems are also mounting over the proposed match against a visiting Anzac XV in Adelaide on July 12.
New Zealand’s top players will play a home Test series against France, while the league leaders Wallabies prepare for the first Test in Brisbane the following weekend. With a tour schedule of just nine games in Australia and commercial and broadcast deals long in the works, it’s clear the Lions face competitive opposition.
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