Six Nations: You can’t force us to accept Georgia
THE SIX NATIONS chief has crushed Georgia’s hopes of being admitted to the Championship. Despite them being above Italy in the world rankings, Six Nations chief executive John Feehan has ruled out the growing calls for reform.
‘ It is a closed competition, owned and controlled by the six unions concerned,’ said Feehan. ‘There is no vacancy. Right now we are perfectly happy that we have the six strongest teams in Europe in our competition.’
Sportsmail columnist Sir Clive Woodward, England’s World Cup-winning coach, has added his voice to the growing protests about the treatment of Georgia, who remain frozen out by the European elite despite winning the second-tier Rugby Europe Championship for the past six seasons.
Feehan has rejected the introduction of promotion and relegation, with the bottom club of the Six Nations facing a play-off against the winners of the Rugby Europe Championship.
Calls for change were fuelled in part by Italy’s 63-10 home defeat against Ireland 11 days ago. ‘You wait for the weakest animal to fall and you are on top of them,’
RELEGATION WOULD DO ITALY A FAVOUR
Sir Clive Woodward’s take in yesterday’s Sportsmail
Feehan told critics of the event. ‘Are we closed to every scenario? No, but it takes a while to see a convincing argument — 10 or 15 years. We have to take a good, considered view about what is right for our six unions.
‘They would all have to agree that this is what they want. At this stage, talk of bringing in other teams is premature.’
The Six Nations’ reluctance to consider opening up to other countries is at odds with World Rugby’s expansionism, but Feehan is adamant that no one can meddle in the running of the Championship.
‘World Rugby have no input into this tournament,’ he said. ‘They have no control over it, no ownership of it. It’s not theirs to tell us what to do with it.
‘ It is World Rugby’s job to develop the game. Our job is to run the Six Nations as we see fit. Do the unions have a responsibility to help develop and expand the game? Probably, yes, but should that go as far as messing with the most important tournament? Probably not. Our primary role is not to develop other unions but if we can help, we do.’
Georgia’s Kiwi head coach Milton Haig has urged Feehan to visit Tbilisi and outline what they need to do to be in the Six Nations.
Feehan’s attitude has led Octavian Morariu, head of Rugby Europe, to call him ‘arrogant’.
‘The Six Nations could support European rugby more, but they don’t,’ said Morariu. ‘Staying in a rich old boys’ club is not the answer. It’s a very arrogant answer.
‘When someone like Sir Clive Woodward says it is time to change, people listen. There is support for change within the Six Nations. Two or three years ago, these discussions would have been impossible but now there are a lot of people listening.’
Morariu recognises that neither Rugby Europe nor World Rugby can directly force the Six Nations to reform. His hope is that ongoing informal talks will eventually force a breakthrough.
‘I’m aware that the Six Nations is a commercial company, so we can’t interfere in their business,’ he said. ‘But if we really want to develop European rugby, it won’t be developed by the current system. The Six Nations totally dominates the European market. Development is practically impossible in the Six Nations’ huge shadow.
‘After this season, they don’t have a sponsor. Big companies look for the big markets. Europe is a very big market. The population of countries within Rugby Europe is 512million people, but the Six Nations makes up only a third of it. We are not maximising the market.’
At a Rugby Europe board meeting in Paris on March 9, there will be a fresh, official request for structural change. Meanwhile, World Rugby continue to observe the impasse and gently encourage progressive thinking, without having the power to enforce reform. Chairman Bill Beaumont told
Sportsmail: ‘What we have to do at World Rugby is enhance the fixtures for a team like Georgia, as a reward for their progress. But tournaments are owned by the countries involved.
‘We are helping Georgia as much as we can and they are hosting the World Under 20 championship this year. But to tell the Six Nations who should be part of their competition is nigh-on impossible.’