Georgia and Portugal captured hearts and minds at the World Cup last year by showing that standards are rising in the competition that exists below the RBS Six Nations Championship. That there is no promotion and relegation between the two means that the European Nations Cup (ENC), led by Russia at the halfway mark of its two-year duration, is destined once more to be played out in the shadows.
Yet those recent performances by Georgia and the gradual re-emergence of Romania — a country that, two decades ago, was ahead of Italy in European rugby’s pecking order — has provoked renewed speculation about whether an official Six Nations second division could one day happen.
Argentina’s application to join the Six Nations, after their third-place finish at the World Cup, is another interesting factor. If the Pumas were invited — and, at present, the International Rugby Board seems keener on them joining the Tri-Nations in the southern hemisphere — then they would most likely be based in Spain.
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Oriol Ripol, the flying Spaniard on the Sale Sharks wing, believes it would be a huge fillip for rugby in Spain if Argentina were admitted to an expanded Seven Nations Championship, which has been the Pumas’ preference as the vast majority of their players represent clubs in the British Isles, France and Italy.
He said: “Rugby in Spain is amateur, but French clubs like Biarritz and Perpignan have great support across the border in the Basque country and in Catalonia respectively, and have played big matches in San Sebasti?n and Barcelona.
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“If Argentina were to play Seven Nations ‘home’ games in Spain, it would create massive new media coverage there and would really help the game to grow. I played for Spain when we made the 1999 World Cup, which got good coverage back home, but we should have qualified ahead of Portugal for the last World Cup. If we get to the 2011 World Cup then I’d love to play again, and I’m considering playing for a Spanish team in the IRB sevens at the end of this season.”
Like Ripol, the first priority for Paulica Ion, the Romania prop, is to concentrate on his professional club career at Bath. Ion, 25, however, is not discounting adding to his 18 caps when Romania — the reigning ENC champions — meet Georgia in Tbilisi on February 9 in a match likely to have a huge bearing on the destiny of this next title.
“If Bath allow it, I would love to play against Georgia. It is a tough game and important for Romania,” Ion said. “They beat us at home last year, so it is important for us to win in Tbilisi. If we can beat Georgia and Russia we will probably win the European Nations Cup.
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“But, overall, it is good for me and many other Romanian players to play for clubs in France and England. You improve your technique and your physical ability, which helps the national team.”
Ion admits that the thought of Romania joining the European elite is a dream. He said: “The standard of rugby needs to improve in Romania, but if money is invested and rugby becomes bigger then it might be a possibility for the future.”