European Cup during the Lions Tour - My idea.

[AlynDavies]

Has anyone else wondered if maybe it might be an idea for Rugby to copy Soccers idea and have a European Cup running during the two year interval from the World Cup?
Basically when the Lions players are away on tour to the southern Hemisphere I think it might be an idea for the 6 Ntaions teams to each host a pool of 4 teams to let the developing european nations.
If you took the World ranking or possibly the 6 Nations B and lower leagues as automatic qualifying youd have something like this:

Pot A - 1 nation each onto pools 1-6, Each country to host 1 pool.
Wales
England
Scotland
Ireland
France
Italy

Pot B - Highest 6 European nations on World rankings excluding host nations.
Georgia - ranked 14
Russia - ranked 16
Romania - ranked 17
Spain - ranked 21
Portugal - ranked 22
Germany - ranked 26

Pot C - Nations below above Groups.
Belgium - 28
Moldova - 29
Czeck Republic - 34
Poland - 36
Sweden - 39
Croatia - 44

Pot D - Nations below above Groups.
Latvia 45
Holland 46
Switzerland 52
Lithuania 55
Denmark 59
Hungary 62

Basically you randomly select 1 nation from each Pot, and end up with something like this.


Pool 1
England
Germany
Belgium
Latvia

Pool 2
Wales
Russia
Moldova
Holland

Pool 3
Italy
Romania
Czeck
Switzerland

Pool 4
Scotland
Spain
Poland
Lithuania

Pool 5
France
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark

Pool 6
Ireland
Georgia
Croatia
Hungary

I think this would give us something quite interesting while the Lions boys are away on tour and give the lower tier European nations a chance to have competitve rugby. Basically the Winner of each pool progresses and the best 2nd placed teams in 2 of the pools.

What do you guys think?

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

So when do the players ever get a summer off? We should be looking to cut down the number of fixtures, not crank them up with pointless tournaments where lesser European nations would have cricket scores put on them.

 

[feicarsinn]

yeah honestly i cant see the point of france putting 200 past denmark with a "C" team

 

[el_tk]

The gap in standards is far too big. England's current U-20 team would probably comfortably beat every team in pot 3 and pot 4. Add in the concerns about player burnout and the fact that some of the Home Nations do take development tours to places like Japan while Lions Tours are on.

 

[Idris]

Getting developing nations into a tournament is a good idea but dont think that the big 6 should be involved.

 

[Thingimubob]

wouldn't France just win it though?
since the home nations best players are away with the Lions, then out of the 6 Nations, France would be the strongest. It's a good idea, but it'll just end up with a Six Nations team winning every time, and lot's of 100+ scores. Would be better to do a like tournament like this during the World Cup, for the really small teams like Germany who don't qualify for the World Cup. Yeah, and like el_tk said, lots of the 6 Nations do development tours while their top players are with the Lions, like I remember Wales going out to Canada and the USA while the 2005 Lions Tour was on.

 

[gunner2008]

Has anyone else wondered if maybe it might be an idea for Rugby to copy Soccers idea and have a European Cup running during the two year interval from the World Cup?
Basically when the Lions players are away on tour to the southern Hemisphere I think it might be an idea for the 6 Ntaions teams to each host a pool of 4 teams to let the developing european nations.
If you took the World ranking or possibly the 6 Nations B and lower leagues as automatic qualifying youd have something like this:

Pot A - 1 nation each onto pools 1-6, Each country to host 1 pool.
Wales
England
Scotland
Ireland
France
Italy

Pot B - Highest 6 European nations on World rankings excluding host nations.
Georgia - ranked 14
Russia - ranked 16
Romania - ranked 17
Spain - ranked 21
Portugal - ranked 22
Germany - ranked 26

Pot C - Nations below above Groups.
Belgium - 28
Moldova - 29
Czeck Republic - 34
Poland - 36
Sweden - 39
Croatia - 44

Pot D - Nations below above Groups.
Latvia 45
Holland 46
Switzerland 52
Lithuania 55
Denmark 59
Hungary 62

Basically you randomly select 1 nation from each Pot, and end up with something like this.


Pool 1
England
Germany
Belgium
Latvia

Pool 2
Wales
Russia
Moldova
Holland

Pool 3
Italy
Romania
Czeck
Switzerland

Pool 4
Scotland
Spain
Poland
Lithuania

Pool 5
France
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark

Pool 6
Ireland
Georgia
Croatia
Hungary

I think this would give us something quite interesting while the Lions boys are away on tour and give the lower tier European nations a chance to have competitve rugby. Basically the Winner of each pool progresses and the best 2nd placed teams in 2 of the pools.

What do you guys think?
[/b]

I Think that is real and it will lift popularity rugby in the world!!

<div class='quotemain'>
Has anyone else wondered if maybe it might be an idea for Rugby to copy Soccers idea and have a European Cup running during the two year interval from the World Cup?
Basically when the Lions players are away on tour to the southern Hemisphere I think it might be an idea for the 6 Ntaions teams to each host a pool of 4 teams to let the developing european nations.
If you took the World ranking or possibly the 6 Nations B and lower leagues as automatic qualifying youd have something like this:

Pot A - 1 nation each onto pools 1-6, Each country to host 1 pool.
Wales
England
Scotland
Ireland
France
Italy

Pot B - Highest 6 European nations on World rankings excluding host nations.
Georgia - ranked 14
Russia - ranked 16
Romania - ranked 17
Spain - ranked 21
Portugal - ranked 22
Germany - ranked 26

Pot C - Nations below above Groups.
Belgium - 28
Moldova - 29
Czeck Republic - 34
Poland - 36
Sweden - 39
Croatia - 44

Pot D - Nations below above Groups.
Latvia 45
Holland 46
Switzerland 52
Lithuania 55
Denmark 59
Hungary 62

Basically you randomly select 1 nation from each Pot, and end up with something like this.


Pool 1
England
Germany
Belgium
Latvia

Pool 2
Wales
Russia
Moldova
Holland

Pool 3
Italy
Romania
Czeck
Switzerland

Pool 4
Scotland
Spain
Poland
Lithuania

Pool 5
France
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark

Pool 6
Ireland
Georgia
Croatia
Hungary

I think this would give us something quite interesting while the Lions boys are away on tour and give the lower tier European nations a chance to have competitve rugby. Basically the Winner of each pool progresses and the best 2nd placed teams in 2 of the pools.

What do you guys think?
[/b]

I Think that is real and it will lift popularity rugby in the world!!
[/b][/quote]
I would place constant contenders in one pool, for example Russia and Georgia and so on...

 

[rambler86]

Hi!

I'm agree with other guys who said that there is an enormous gap between the first six nations and the other, and a match between france and denmark or Italy Switzerland give no possibility to grow up to both teams!

Moreover, you must consider that rugby players needs to restore themselves by the season hard work!

Perhaps an european trophy between the pool C-D national teams seems to be a solution, but depends on IRB.

bye!

 

[erwanseb]

A blindfolded french U20 team with hands tied at the back would still win against any opponent of pot C or D.

This is competition would be way too unbalanced.

Rugby can grow only through better and bigger club leagues that employ players from everywhere in numbers.

A stronger pro D2 in France and 1st division in England as well as a strong professional italian league are the way forward.

If you do not generate employement first, all this developments tours are useless.

Financially viable club leagues are the best (and only) tool for rugby developments.