The Six Nations is just hours away from kick-off, and as is traditional, murmurs about South Africa joining the tournament are being whispered in rugby's dark corners.
While for many it's a divisive subject, for legendary Irish wing Shane Horgan it couldn't be any simpler; why fix what's not broken.
The South African club's struggle to adapt to life in the Champions Cup has only exasperated the divisiveness of this issue, with some suggesting they leave the competition while others have argued that the solution lies in aligning South Africa's international season with that of Europe's.
Ultimately, the four franchises have both settled and thrived in the URC with little to no issue. The same can't be said, however, for the Champions Cup where quick turnarounds have left marquee players resting and removed much of the jeopardy that had become synonymous with the tournament from games.
Shane Horgan disagrees with South African involvement in Europe
While the general consensus is that South African clubs have added to the quality of the URC, Ireland legend Shane Horgan wasn't convinced revealing he thought the whole thing was a bad idea.
Horgan was speaking on The Good, the Bad, the Rugby podcast when the prospect of adding the Springboks to the Six Nations arose in discussion - with Horgan not only rubbishing that idea, but also the presence of the country's clubs in Europe, claiming they pulled the rug out from under Super Rugby's feet and questioning their trustworthiness.
(The Six Nations) is the jewel in the crown, don't mess with it.
I still have an issue with the South African clubs in the URC and in Europe, not just because it's unfair on them and it's not good for fans, lots of people think they've elevated the URC - I just don't think it was a good idea.
Nobody really says this, they pulled the rug on the Southern Hemisphere as well, nobody is saying 'hold on a second, you just wrecked that tournament' and aw that's grand because they're coming to us. It was a poor move all around.
While Horgan was unwavering in his opinion that the traditions of the Six Nations should be preserved and the Springboks kept out, he was fearful that money would ultimately lead the brass to introduce Rassie Erasmus' back-to-back World Cup winners.
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