This might not be strictly a Rye story – but might reduce the number of patients at our local surgeries suffering from stress – and we are talking about the Rugby 6 Nations Competition and where, if at all, you can watch the matches.
The good news is that Sky has not yet purloined it. So let me hold your hand and guide you through this whole Byzantine maze (which I certainly couldn’t have done until the Sunday national Observer clarified everything).
ITV have the ‘vowels nations’ home games (England, Ireland & Italy).
BBC have the ‘consonant nations’ home games (France, Scotland & Wales).
– and this all based on a principle laid down in the Treaty of Versailles of June 1919.
Thus, this weekend Scotland/Ireland (2:25pm Sat.) BBC.
England/France (4:50pm Sat) & Italy/Wales (2pm Sun) ITV.
Keep concentrating: The new points system awards 4 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 if you lose by 7 or less points, plus one bonus point if you score 4 tries.
No one actually knows whether you would gain 2 bonus points if you score 8 tries. That might have to be referred back even further than Versailles, to Talleyrand and Castlereagh and the Congress of Vienna.
It is rumoured that any nation leaving the EEC will be docked penalty points on a regular basis.
Photo: library image
Imagine England deciding to withdraw from the 6 Nations so going forward we can play the United States and Turkey during February and March instead. Wouldn’t make much sense… would it?
Personally, I’d prefer to see a return to the glorious days of Four Nations Rugby. What have France or Italy ever contributed to rugby or indeed to culture? So Four Nations it is. Let’s make this tournament great again.
This said, I do have my doubts about the lack of commitment from Ireland. Come to think of it, North of the border, they’re not really putting their hearts into it either. So: Two Nations Rugby, by an overwhelming majority, we’re in favour of that. Two Nations means Two Nations, red, white and blue. France, we’re taking back control of those colours. They are ours.
And having read John’s explanation as to which games will be televised where, I note by some serendipitous coincidence that the only game featuring England to be shown on the BBC will be against Wales. I’d never trust a TV station that doesn’t include the word British. Wales versus England: bring it on.