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The European Nations Cup rugby series – a second-division version of the Six Nations – finished last week.
The European Nations Cup is played at the same time as the Six Nations, but the competition is decided over two years so full home-and-away matches are concluded. At the end of the two-year period, the bottom team is relegated and the winner of the European 1B division is promoted.
At the end of the 2015 rounds, Georgia was undefeated, Romania, Spain and Russia beat each other, Portugal had its only win over Germany, and the Germans were winless at the bottom of the table. Germany was the new team promoted as the winner of the 2012-14 1B division.
In the opening two rounds of 2016, Spain was unlucky to lose both of their games in close encounters, 22-20 to Russia and 21-18 to Romania. Germany was once again the competition’s whipping boy, losing 59-7 to Georgia and 46-20 to Russia, looking doomed to relegation in the process.
The third round saw Romania take command of second place with a 30-0 win over Russia, and Germany pulled off an upset in Hannover, scoring seven tries to four to beat Portugal 50-27.
Because of the cold weather, Russia plays its home games in the Olympic city of Sochi, just 30 kilometres from the Georgian border. These two met in the fourth round with Georgia continuing their winning ways with a 24-7 victory.
Romania had a huge 61-7 win over Germany, who were missing a number of players due to work commitments. In Madrid, a crowd of over 10,000 – a Spanish Rugby record – saw the home side have a convincing win over Portugal.
So to the final round, where first and second-placed Georgia and Romania faced off, and Portugal and Germany each needed a point in their respective games to avoid relegation.
First up was a no contest in Tbilisi as Georgia scored six tries to nil for a comfortable 38-9 win to take out the Cup and remain undefeated. Romania has not scored a try against Georgia for four years now.
The interesting aspect of the game was that 52,342 attended the game, a European rugby record (if you discount the 95,000 spectators in Bucharest at the Romania-France game in 1957 which was played as the curtain-raiser to the football game between the same two nations).
In Lisbon, Portugal were desperate to collect a point but were no match for the rampaging Russians, who scored seven tries to three to win 53-21. The final game was in Cologne where Germany surprisingly snatched a 17-all draw with Spain. It was a dour game but it gave Germany two points to avoid relegation.
Instead Portugal will be relegated to the 1B division for the 2016-18 series. Many of the side’s problems can be linked to the country’s focus on the World Sevens Series.
Germany, thought to be the easy beats, came good in the games that mattered but lost the others by big margins. With a more professional approach, Germany could be a European powerhouse.
Belgium, the leader in the 1B division, will be promoted. In the 1B games, Belgium has played all 10 games, winning nine and losing just one narrowly to Ukraine, 17-16.
There are two things which emerged from this series. The presence of rugby in Europe is improving, with game attendance growing with each match. In the 2016 series, only Portugal lagged, with under a thousand at each of its two home games.
Every other nation was able to attract crowds of over 3,000 on multiple occasions, and Georgia’s massive attendance in Tbilisi certainly bodes well for the rugby’s future in the country. With added time, hopefully the remaining countries will be able to work towards such crowds.
The other point to be made is that there is now a call for promotion and relegation in the Six Nations. That will not happen under the present regime even as Italy flounders; the powers that be would never risk Scotland, Wales or Ireland succumbing to relegation.
But with Georgia becoming stronger and Romania not far behind, the call for an expanded Eight Nations competition in Europe is getting louder and louder.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.