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.
Harry Kimble
Guest
Thanks Dan, The saying about sport in Germany is that football is the most popular sport, second is football, third is football and fourth is motor racing. Rugby has a foothold but is very tenuous with most of the players being amateur.
Higgik
Guest
The idea of a Euro Nations Championship held 4-yearly sounds a good idea, but instead of adding it to calendar, what about playing it when there is a Lions tour on, this would balance the teams out as stronger teams would have more players out on Lions duty, maybe the French might win it at first, but it would mean the Italians, Georgians and Romanians would get slightly more competitive games. My idea is for a global international season, doing away with the June tests and lumping everything together in one block from August to November. August - September (6weeks) 6N and RC, PNC, ENC Week break September - October (6 weeks) 4 year cycle of; Lions, RWC, Tours x 2
Dan Petrie
Guest
Great article Harry and great to see European rugby taking great strides in promoting the game. While football is king in Germany one can't help but feel that a rugby heart beats somewhere along the Rhine (ok, terrible pun there). Thankyou and best wishes, Dan
Bakkies
Guest
Italy went to the one in SA in 2013. I think it's the ARU's turn to host it next year. The matches were run as double headers.
NaBUru38
Guest
I think that Italy, Georgia and Namibia should come to Uruguay in 2017 to play a quadrangular tournament.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
The Copa del Rey Final (Rugby) looks set to top 15,000 spectators to watch VRAC and El Salvador duke it out. Not bad for Spanish Rugby.
in brief
Guest
FIRA and the 6 nations were historically separate entities. Although the French were heavily involved in FIRA it was a separate administration entirely to the 6 Nations. Recently FIRA was brought under the european rugby, IRB (World Rugby) banner.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
But they are making efforts to grow that base. They've seen a 45% jump in croeds this year to over 8,000 (yes, it's a small base) but there is real intent to grow.
Bakkies
Guest
Romania aren't competitive enough and their crowds are tiny. Not being tied to the Government regime, Army and Police has a lot to do with that
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
They won't at all of course nor with Russia. It might be fun for SANZAAR to go in and steal the market as Europe doesn't want it, by planting some Super rugby teams there. Two in Georgia, one Romania and one Russia forming a Euroslav conference. Near zero travel costs within the conference and extremely cheap players. It could be a nice little prospect.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Not when it's played Georgia all the time. It also has deep roots. More importanly those matches were long ago and professionalism has changed things and narrows scorelines.Actually Romania is more likely to join the Six Nations as it is 20 million with a growing economy and EU membership whereas 4.5 million Georgia with a weak economy are of less interest to the Six Nations who are really far more interested in the wealth of the market than the strength of the teams so long as it's passable.
Jake
Guest
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/six-nations-2016-no-prospect-of-eastern-europe-joining-in-best-tournament-a6840196.html#commentsDiv
Bakkies
Guest
You may have never said it and others have. On here and in the press. 'You can’t expect a team which rarely plays tier one opposition to beat them. ' England were putting 100 on Romania. Ireland and France 60 to 70. That's why those matches were stopped. Presently Romania are 30 to 40 points weaker than Georgia. They have to get closer to Georgia's level let alone the tier 1 European sides.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
You can't expect a team which rarely plays tier one opposition to beat them. Coming close on the scoreline tells you they're close enough to be able to with regular exposure and those two teams have done that. Of course they can't beat them without sustained exposure to them: it doesn't mean they can't do it with that exposure. As for Romania being beaten earlier, the difference is now a much greater number of professional players in both countries which makes those days irrelevant. The teams have come far closer and could make the step up with regular competition. I never suggested relegation and it's amazing someone like Gatland would as if economic and other issues don't matter. See my post further down the page on this.
Bakkies
Guest
Romania haven't beaten a Six Nations side in the pro era. Georgia never have. Stop being deluded. The Georgians have played Ireland in Dublin and are fixed to play Scotland at Murrayfield this November. Romania used to get those fixtures but they got tonked and it did them no favours. The Six Nations won't expand as the window is large enough as it is with players released from clubs. There is more to the Six Nations then what you see on the tv there's the womens and under 20s tournaments as well. They don't pay for themselves. The Six Nations funds the game in the celtic unions and Italy that fully or partially fund their professional teams which are set up to build the international game. Relegate a team out of it then they can't fund the game as it is for a year or two. Potentially killing off a union is not the way to go about it. That's why relegation is a ridiculous suggestion. The only real potential compromise is a separate European tournament in non Lions and RWC years. That would create a problem for unions like the ARU who rely on the summer tests for income as none of those teams would be available for a tour and they already miss out on the money in RWC years which the IRB compensates for.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Whatever happens, no major tournament will ever promotion/relegation. It makes investors terrified, all the countries involved are too afraid that one day their team would be relegated so no one would agree, TV companies wouldn't like it compared to a fixed product, it would be very threatening to the whole game in many of the countries that might be relegated. It will never happen. Nor will a B league have any meaningful relation to the Six Nations. It simply has no connection. The only thing that might happen is expanding the Six Nations but with no promotion/relegation. That looks unlikely but isn't actually impossible unlike the promotion/relegation idea.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
It's not nonsense actually. Like Argentina, most teams take a season or so in a competition to get up to speed, but given how competitive Romania and Georgia have been against Six Nations team with virtually no exposure to teams of that calibre, it would only take more competition to get up to Italy and Scotland's low standard.
Bakkies
Guest
'Romania and Georgia have been up to lower Six Nations standard for years' Nonsense
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
That's ancient history. The Six Nations chairman ferociously dismissed allowing Romania or Georgia in the tournament saying it is absolutely 'closed' and adding brutally 'Frankly.its not out job to provide solutions for Romania or Georgia or anyone else for that matter'. This is growing the game? Nor is giving playing opprtunities some kind act, it's simply the mercenary self-interest of clubs. Romania and Georgia have been up to lower Six Nations standard for years, and have had the door firmly bolted against them, and are rarely ever given the opportunity to play against tier one nations.
Bakkies
Guest
They're starting to get more professional in terms of training which their SA coach has been pushing.