Friday night Six Nations? Is nothing sacred?

By Brian Dick on Apr 17, 08 02:00 PM in Rugby

I am not by nature the sort of person who views change with suspicion, instead I try to take the view that if something is inevitable the best course of action is to find positives.

I could never, therefore, be described as a traditionalist. To me traditions are not entities that have existed since the beginning of time, they have themselves developed through changing circumstances. If they have a beginning so they must have an end.

But I do get a bit touchy about the Six Nations. Rugby Union has known unprecedented change in the 13 years since professionalism was introduced. Virtually nothing has escaped untouched, neither the club game nor the representative sport.

Yet there are certain non-negotiables that give rugby its defining character. Principles that separate it from rugby league or other versions of football. The Six Nations is one.

Which is why the decision to play next year's France-Wales game on a Friday night is a step too far.

The tournament is a circus, a community that travels around the continent renewing old rivalries and developing friendships along the way.

Some people count years by Six Nations matches. 'Wasn't that the week after Paris 2006?', 'Where did you stay for Dublin 1998?' or 'I haven't seen you since Cardiff '79'. They are the conscience of the international game.

But the decision to hold matches at 9pm on a Friday night acts against such people. As if getting back home from Murrayfield in time for work on a Monday wasn't difficult enough, we must now negotiate our way from France.

Once more the coach potato, the supporter whose only commitment to the sport is his television subscription, has been given primacy over those who actually travel to matches.

The Six Nations is not about the on screen experience, it's about squeezing yourself into a bar packed with gloating Welshmen, enjoying the beer, banter and a good old sing-song. Try doing that several miles outside of Paris city centre at 11.30pm.