The potentially game-changing Six Nations initiative that can ‘bring fans closer’ to the players

Twickenham. United Kingdom. 04 February 2023. England V Scotland, Culcutta Cup, Guinness 6 Nations. Twickenham Stadium. Twickenham. Try scorer Max Malins (England) is congratulated by Lewis Ludlam (England) during the England V Scotland, Culcutta Cup rugb

Six Nations organisers are expected to make names on the back of shirts mandatory for the upcoming men’s tournament.

Previously, individual nations have been left to their own devices as to whether they use the initiative, but it is expected to be compulsory from now on.

England and Scotland were the first two sides to trial the idea during the 2022 end-of-year series before they followed that up alongside Italy in the 2023 Six Nations.

Other three sides

It is understood that the other three nations – Ireland, France and Wales – will now follow suit, with it set to be ratified at a board meeting ahead of the competition.

“We think player names on shirts may have the potential to bring fans closer to the international stars of our game, and we look forward to seeing the reaction to this initiative,” Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said in October 2022.

“We hope this will lead the way for us to consider names on shirts to further promote our world-class England international players participating in other international tournaments across the men’s and women’s game.”

While traditionalists may be disappointed, the Six Nations are looking to capitalise on the potential boom of Netflix’s new documentary.

Six Nations: Full Contact will be released on January 24, and having names on shirts will allow casual viewers to recognise the international stars.

Younger sports fans

It is also moving towards the modern-day trend of younger people becoming fans of players rather than clubs.

That has been particularly obvious in football, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe having a significant number of supporters.

Obviously, rugby players are less marketable, and the sport is struggling to get its best players into the mainstream, but this could be a game-changer in that regard, especially if the documentary takes off.

There is still resistance to the move, but it has generally been greeted positively within the game.

“A pretty obvious move. Knowing who people are is a significant aid for newer fans,” Analyst Sam Larner wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Tight Five Rugby added: “About time. Literally no down side.” but journalist Brett McKay isn’t so sure, stating: “Nope, don’t like this. I get the thinking, but I don’t like it..”