MELBOURNE :It took more than a decade but this year's Rugby Championship finally lived up to what it had long promised fans: being fast, fierce and wide open to the finish.

Now, having found its spark, the full version of the four-nation tournament will fade from view for at least two years as champions South Africa and New Zealand plot a traditional tour in 2026 without Australia and Argentina.

Ironically or perhaps fittingly, the decisive match of the Southern Hemisphere's premier competition was played out in the Northern Hemisphere at Twickenham, where the Springboks celebrated back-to-back titles with a 29-27 win over the Pumas.

It was another reminder of the commercial forces that have long squeezed the tournament into unnatural places and cramped its dimensions in the global cale

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