Wales will veto cut to 6 Nations

WALES will take a stand in Dublin this week against England’s call for the Six Nations schedule to be shortened by seven days.

By voting against the RFU’s proposal, the Welsh Rugby Union will strike a blow for player-welfare, fearful that condensing the tournament into a six weekend period will increase the risk of greater injury.

England’s plan to scrap one of the two rest weeks would mean each country playing their five matches in a five week period.

“We talked to a number of our players,’’ said WRU chairman Gareth Davies. “Their view is that a reduced schedule will put the smaller nations under still greater pressure.

“We are serious about player-welfare. Reducing the tournament by a week would make it far more demanding for them.

“Scotland took a physical battering against France and if there hadn’t been a week’s break they would have gone into the next match without eight play-

ers. They just wouldn’t have had enough time to recover. In that respect there is a risk that reducing the time-scale could devalue the competition.’’

Under Six Nations rules, any proposed change to the format of the 15-match tournament requires unanimous approval. RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie’s move, therefore, seems doomed to fail.

Ritchie, who may have been reacting to pressure from the English Premiership clubs to reduce the time scale of the championship, said: “We think it would improve it. It’s absolutely right to be always thinking about what to do to make the Six Nations better.”

Scotland will also vote against the Twickenham recommendation. Chief executive Mark Dodson calls it “a retrograde step and a dangerous step as far as player-welfare is concerned”. He said: “We’re going to look after our boys. Anybody who has just witnessed the intense physicality in this last Six Nations and wants to reduce the time period is taking a huge gamble with player safety.

“Nations with smaller player pools are going to be compromised and hit far harder by a shortened competition.’’

The furore caused by France changing their front row at the start of the 20-minute stoppage time against Wales in Paris has been referred to a Six Nations disciplinary tribunal.