In wishing all a happy, peaceful, fulfilling and sporting 2026 I feel that this year will be defining on a number of levels. AI, Commodities, Rare Earths, global tensions, world health will dominate business, corporate and personal thinking, it will be a year of living dangerously yet always a sense of optimism must prevail. I will stick to sport for now, and even then commercial considerations are never far away (Cricket 2025 could be Rugby 2026). More on that below…

If you are a rugby supporter, relentless optimism is a must because the flip side will only depress you – try supporting Welsh rugby right now. One positive performance of course can change the view, although England at Twickenham in the opening 6N match will not be that occasion. 60 points in Cardiff last year could be something more eye-watering this year. Borthwick could pick at least two squads and expect the same result. As a Haverfordwest-born Englishman who learnt so much of his rugby in Wales, I will continue to look for the shoots of recovery but it may take some time.

Meantime, I arrived back on the Cape after an extended stay in England, and found a lot of head-shaking for the poor performance of the South African teams in the Champions Cup. Especially my local side the Cape Town Stormers, unbeaten in the URC, and shipping a half century of points to a resurgent Harlequins – crisis what crisis at the Stoop?! When did the Bulls last concede 60 points at altitude in a big match at home – are Bristol that good? The Sharks were turned into canned tuna by their English equivalents who are themselves at the bottom end of the Prem but then they sent baby sharks so what do you expect? Observers in Europe have been highly critical and are irritated because they all know that South African teams are better than this and the scorelines diminish the performance of the winning side as well as the result itself. Okay, let’s unravel this and the truth emerges. By the way, I was Chair of EPCR for 7 years and we had constant issues of similar nature mainly with the English and French sides who were wrestling with their own domestic priorities, so this is nothing new.

The Springboks are back to back world champions and four times in total, for a reason. They are pragmatic in player selection given the distances to travel, allow their players latitude to rest and play in other hemispheres, are constantly evolving their talent and have an innate sense of priority. This applies to URC, Currie Cup and Japan as well as the Champions Cup, sponsored by one of their own, Investec. Remember when they pull on the Springbok shirt, it is the call of a nation and recalls the greatest ever connection made between country and sport as inspired by Nelson Mandela in the 1995 World Cup. This was evidenced in the Women’s World Cup last year when for me the rugby highlight was not only the obvious outcome of a Red Roses win but the unexpected competitiveness of a hastily assembled Springbok women’s team with incredible stories of individual resilience and hope. They went toe to toe with the fully professional Black Ferns for an hour until their amateur levels of fitness let them down. The impression was indelible however and they will get better and better. I am not going to predict a double, simultaneous accolade of a Men and Women’s World Cup triumph (that could be England) but this is the direction of travel.

Resource is important and as countries align their competitions this will play out. To their cost New Zealand are finding out some harsh truths in this regard – the cracks in the All Blacks model may become gaping when they visit South Africa later this year in an eagerly awaited tour. Their incredible history of performance with such a limited player pool could finally be under threat as the fourth decade of professionalism lurches into view.

More rugby alignment finds expression in the new Nations Tournament – at last. When World Rugby and the Unions chose to talk to the clubs (after a first failed effort some years back for that reason) this became an obvious structure and is a key step towards the global season. People are already talking excitedly about the opener between England and South Africa in Johannesburg the two top teams in the world on form. By then England could have achieved a Grand Slam (a rarity, even Wales have four this century) if they can get past the challenges in Murrayfield and Paris, not a springtime walk in the Stade/Parc in any sense. Even Italy, packed with talent, will fancy a first ever upset against England in the Imperial City, no doubt with some newfound Papal support. These are the challenges to overcome so that 2027 approaches with England as dangerous contenders in Australia (2003 recalled!)

Another big development in 2026 will be how URC and the Prem push for their respective restructurings. One is driven by the Welsh crisis and the other by a desire to disconnect from the rest of the game in England for obvious commercial reasons. I use the word disconnect deliberately, the ultimate irony being that only through integrated thinking will our game grow in participation. As the game in France steams ahead- their talent is deliberately more widely spread than in the UK, one reason for the level playing field appearing at league and Champions Cup level ( exc Bordeaux!)- the English game is seeking a more profitable way, understandably. My two decade or more experience in pro rugby in the UK allows me to share in the vision of various owners that a new future must be embraced against the backdrop of a Union which has abrogated many of its responsibilities in this regard, also going back more than two decades. While some European competitions are flawed by definition due to domestic club developments and the need for home fixtures to boost revenue, some of the quality on display is breathtaking, no question. To push for broader recognition and to consider the sport of rugby as an investable asset is now conventional wisdom. Money is available for the right opportunity.

For England, the reality does not need be binary and I grow weary of saying this either to the decision-makers or more widely. We have to keep the fires burning more widely in this country, bring to life the hopes and aspirations of every rugby player. Or else participation will decline, and the playing fields where top talent learns its trade will be harder to find. At least six Champ Rugby stars are very soon to depart to Prem clubs following in the footsteps of hundreds more, many now Internationals, who owe and publicly attribute some of their development to Champ Clubs and sometimes National League. Our strapline is after all the ‘proving ground’. Clubs revel in their identity, their community connections and therefore are the umbilical cord to rugby and all it’s values. This is where they are truly lived even if the cold, hard dollar is less in evidence. The ambitions of our clubs right at the top can still be realised alongside those of the rest of the game (99.5%). The English game stands on a edge of a cliff, but can take wing and fly. Let us hope that the leadership bring in enough understanding of all the priorities to enable an enduring legacy, rather than to bite the hand that ultimately feeds it and create a different outcome from which the game may never recover.

In this year of living a little more dangerously, let rugby at least deliver some measured optimism, as well as an England side – amongst others, definitely don’t discount France, New Zealand and Argentina – to compete with the triple World Cup seeking Springboks.

Hallers