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What does the future hold for the Six Nations

Roar Pro
3rd February, 2012
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Roar Pro
3rd February, 2012
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3018 Reads

The 2012 Six Nations starts today with France taking on Italy at the iconic Stade de France in Paris to kick-off the annual rugby union championship involving six rugby powerhouses of Europe.

For five weeks, international rugby rules over the hectic club rugby season as passionate fans proudly display their nationalism and witness the clashes of Europe’s finest players. I

t’s fifteen matches of the highest intensity played in front of huge crowds at some of world rugby’s most iconic stadiums.

But what does the future hold for the Six Nations? Is the tournament preventing exposure for emerging nations such as Russia and Georgia?

No invitations are handed out to these so-called minnows, while the most powerful rugby nations only get stronger and richer.

The Six Nations presents valuable test experience to the next generation of players from the participating nations. However, a young Russian or Georgian will only be exposed to this intensity of international rugby every four years.

The best he can hope for is to play in the European Nations Cup, and if he’s lucky he might play in a one-off Test match during the autumn window.

A lot of people behind the scenes are working hard to do what they can to bridge the gap between the Six Nations and the rest, whether they are the officials at the IRB providing valuable funding to the emerging nations or a foreigner coaching the national team.

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But this gap can be bridged in a shorter amount of time if Russia, Georgia, Romania and others were allowed to join in the annual rugby bonanza of the Six Nations.

Obviously there would be huge opposition from some in the European rugby community. The prospect of England playing against a less-glamorous Georgian side is less-appealing to fans and sponsors alike.

However, the 2011 Rugby World Cup displayed the outstanding abilities and potential of the three European minnows: Russia scored eight tries in their campaign (Including three against the Wallabies), Georgia gave England a horrid time, and Romania were ten minutes away from a memorable upset of Scotland.

The rise in popularity of rugby in Georgia and Russia, where the game is given the full support of the national government, would guarantee respectable crowd attendances for their home fixtures.

Also players like Mamuka Gorgodze, Vasily Artemyev and Marius Tincu can match it with the likes of Imanol Harinordiquy, Ben Foden and Matthew Rees in their respective positions, and deserve to be playing against tier-one opposition on a more regular basis.

One possibility would be to implement a promotion/relegation system between the Six Nations and European Nations Cup. Critics would doubtless say a relegated Scotland or Italy would be hit by an immense financial loss, losses that the administrators in Edinburgh and Rome can ill afford.

Whatever the solution, the addition of other European nations would provide another dimension in what is an already fascinating competition.

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