[ENC 1A] 6 Nations B 2015

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I'm certainly going to be trying to watch this for the first time next year. Hopefully the fixtures don't clash so much with the 6N. Georgia are the best team at the moment due to all their forwards playing a high level in France; but Romania, Spain, Germany and Russia can all play pretty entertaining stuff, have a lot of young talent playing modern flowing rugby and in my opinion are all moving in the right direction either domestically, internationally or both.

I am hoping the Czech Republic join them. They are two divisions below the ENC this year, but two weeks ago had around 9,000 fans at a match against the Barbarians which shows the potential for rugby in that country.

I've always followed Italian rugby, but if there was promotion and relegation I would be quite excited at the thought of Italy playing infront of 50,000 Georgians and a return leg in Italy infront of 60,000+. I don't think relegation would hurt the development of Italian rugby one bit if they could be guaranteed fixtures against 6N teams in the June and November international windows as compensation. Unfortunately, Georgia losing to Japan last week (and in a dogfight with Samoa today) reduces the pressure to introduce relegation and promotion (compared to say if they were in the top 10 rankings).

But if in a few years, the big markets like Spain or Germany get bigger crowds and look like getting near the top of the ENC, you can be sure that promotion and relegation will miraculously very quickly appear on the agenda for the 6N. Swapping Italy for Germany or Spain would be nowhere near the economic hit of swapping them for Romania or Georgia. It shouldn't be like that and it is unfair, but I think that's the reality.

 

[Osezno]

Swapping Italy for Germany or Spain would be nowhere near the economic hit of swapping them for Romania or Georgia. It shouldn't be like that and it is unfair, but I think that's the reality.

If it was simply a question of market size, Spanish women's team would have never been kicked out of Women's Six Nations tournament. But the reality is they have been left without a proper annual tournament and meaningful test matches for the last decade because someone decided W6N had to be aligned with 6 Nations. At this stage I don't expect any favours from Home Nations cartel.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

If it was simply a question of market size, Spanish women's team would have never been kicked out of Women's Six Nations tournament. But the reality is they have been left without a proper annual tournament and meaningful test matches for the last decade because someone decided W6N had to be aligned with 6 Nations. At this stage I don't expect any favours from Home Nations cartel.

Well, with no disrespect to the woman's game, no woman's team has a whole lot of market potential at the moment (in terms of financially). I think the men's game will be a different kettle of fish. It is interesting to see Movistar for example sponsoring and covering the Chile vs Korea test series this past fortnight. If the Spanish men started to finish in the top two of the ENC and had a sponsor like Movistar on board then I think the gates that have been firmly (and embarassingly) closed to Romania and Georgia might swing open (even more so if it was Germany). As always, it is all totally hypothetical and you are right to be sceptical of any suggestion of long term thinking or fairness from the 6N Unions.

 

[Osezno]

Well, I was giving the example of women's tournament because marketing should be less of a key factor in kicking out a team there... but they did. And I have nothing against Scotland, but I really hope your women are left without a World Cup for the second time in a row just to reflect that unjustice once again.

With regards to what you say about Movistar, don't join the dots too quickly. Movistar in South America has a marketing strategy very different to the one they have in Spain. For example in cycling they have two different teams, one funded from Spain and another, of a lesser standard, entirely funded by their regional arm.

I know the 6 Nations committee would put less problems to Russia, Spain or Germany than to Georgia and Romania and I know how unfair it is, but anyway I'm sure they wouldn't easily decide to put at risk their statu quo if they hadn't already done with a less risky area like women rugby.