In a sport which is often changing, the Six Nations is usually left well alone.
While the authorities tinker with laws and competitions, they dare not meddle with the famous old Championship.
February and March, every year. Since 2000, the same six teams. And any talk of promotion and relegation, or expansion, is just that – talk. The Six Nations is brilliantly enduring and enduringly brilliant.
However, this year it will look a little different.
Not just because of a Thursday night start for the first time, but in an unprecedented move the tournament will be played over just six weeks rather than seven, with only one rest weekend between rounds three and four. There will be three back-to-back games at the start.
It may seem a minor tweak, but it could be significant. Since 2003 the tournament has been played over seven weeks, with a rest week either side of round three; before that the Championship was played over as many as 10 weeks.
Compressing the tournament has been mooted for a while. However, when raised in 2017, it was met by opposition from the players and quietly shelved – until now.
From a commercial viewpoint it makes sense. Build a narrative. Own the early spring sporting landscape. Keep up the momentum.
That middle weekend – with fallow weeks either side – always felt a little imperfect.
However, back in 2017, England’s George Ford said the tournament was “tough enough” on players and his concerns remain valid.
Three high-intensity games on consecutive weekends will take a physical and mental toll, especially on the countries with fewer resources.
“It could have an impact, absolutely,” former Scotland captain John Barclay told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“And it will impact Scotland, Wales and Italy more because they are the countries which don’t quite have that level of depth.”
Barclay, who won 76 caps in a twelve-year international career, remembers a particularly brutal meeting with the French in Paris nine years ago, which resulted in head injury assessments (HIAs) for seven Scotland players.
Under World Rugby’s HIA protocol, players showing concussion symptoms must spend a minimum of 12 days on the sidelines.
After that 2017 trip to Paris, the Scots had a rest week to lick their wounds and make a semblance of a recovery for the third round of matches. That would not be possible this time around.