sport news SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The Six Nations should look at promotion and relegation at ... trends now
Anyone with an interest in the competitiveness of international rugby in the northern hemisphere acknowledges the Six Nations should have promotion and relegation.
The only ones who don’t seem to be of that view are the protectionists at the head of the leading unions who want to maintain the Championship as a closed shop to ensure they are not put at sporting or financial risk by dropping out of the European game’s top tier.
Such an attitude flies completely in the face of what professional sport should be about. It should be about jeopardy and danger and the need to deliver on the big stage when it matters most.
The promotion and relegation debate is not new, certainly when it comes to the senior men’s Championship. I’ve maintained for a long time that there should an annual play-off match between the team which finishes bottom of the Six Nations and the winner of Rugby Europe.
I completely agree with Sam Warburton, the decorated former Wales and Lions captain, on this.
Georgia won Europe's second tier tournament Rugby Europe for the seventh consecutive year
But I would also say that the Six Nations should look at promotion and relegation at all levels, certainly with the women’s Championship and the men’s at Under-20 level.
The same could also be true at men’s Under-18’s although that tournament is run in a slightly different fashion to the others which does make things a little more complicated.
As things stand, my concern is that the Six Nations risks a big gap appearing between the best and worst sides at each level. In the senior men’s, Ireland are well ahead of the rest right now.
The same is true of England in the women’s. England are utterly dominant and even other teams catching up in terms of professionalism hasn’t changed much.
Wales are under pressure in both tournaments. Their men’s side picked up the wooden spoon and their women’s team has lost all three games so far this year.
At men’s Under-20 level, Scotland have been performing poorly for a number of years. Unions need encouraging to invest in their youth systems and not just recruit senior players through different qualification means. Success at Under-20 level pays dividends.
Wales finished bottom of this year’s men’s Six Nations, failing to win a game
Right now, teams who are struggling are simply allowed to bumble along at the bottom of their respective tables without feeling any pressure they might drop out of the competition.
Let me reiterate my belief that such a lack of jeopardy is fundamentally against the ethos of what professional sport should be. Some unions deserve to be put under pressure.
Rugby has become so cosy for the top countries. They have all seemingly forgotten that competition inspires performance. During the World Cup, a Nations Championship was announced that split countries into two tiers and promised promotion and relegation, but not until 2030.
All this will do is maintain the status quo when change is needed.
Wales finished bottom of this year’s men’s Six
