THE LAST WORD

SpAIN are on the rise but, like Georgia, they are finding themselves stuck outside a closed shop. On Saturday, the men’s team lost narrowly in Tbilisi but sent a weakened squad, in order to prepare for decisive Rugby Europe Championship encounters with Germany and Belgium which could see them earn a place at next year’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Spain’s women thrashed Holland to win their second-tier European title and afterwards wing Maria Garcia asked on Twitter whether Rugby Europe, the continent’s governing body, could ‘do anything to open the Six Nations’. Sadly, there is no chance of that for now. The powers-that-be must find a way to harness potential outside the traditional heartlands, even if it means forcing some turkeys to vote for Christmas.