SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The Six Nations should look at promotion and relegation at all levels... struggling teams must not be allowed to bumble along without the feeling of pressure

Anyone with an interest in the competitiveness of international rugby in the northern hemisphere acknowledges the Six Nations should have promotion and relegation.

The only ones who don’t seem to be of that view are the protectionists at the head of the leading unions who want to maintain the Championship as a closed shop to ensure they are not put at sporting or financial risk by dropping out of the European game’s top tier.

Such an attitude flies completely in the face of what professional sport should be about. It should be about jeopardy and danger and the need to deliver on the big stage when it matters most.

The promotion and relegation debate is not new, certainly when it comes to the senior men’s Championship. I’ve maintained for a long time that there should an annual play-off match between the team which finishes bottom of the Six Nations and the winner of Rugby Europe.

I completely agree with Sam Warburton, the decorated former Wales and Lions captain, on this.

But I would also say that the Six Nations should look at promotion and relegation at all levels, certainly with the women’s Championship and the men’s at Under-20 level.

The same could also be true at men’s Under-18’s although that tournament is run in a slightly different fashion to the others which does make things a little more complicated.

As things stand, my concern is that the Six Nations risks a big gap appearing between the best and worst sides at each level. In the senior men’s, Ireland are well ahead of the rest right now.

The same is true of England in the women’s. England are utterly dominant and even other teams catching up in terms of professionalism hasn’t changed much.

Wales are under pressure in both tournaments. Their men’s side picked up the wooden spoon and their women’s team has lost all three games so far this year.

At men’s Under-20 level, Scotland have been performing poorly for a number of years. Unions need encouraging to invest in their youth systems and not just recruit senior players through different qualification means. Success at Under-20 level pays dividends.

Right now, teams who are struggling are simply allowed to bumble along at the bottom of their respective tables without feeling any pressure they might drop out of the competition.

Let me reiterate my belief that such a lack of jeopardy is fundamentally against the ethos of what professional sport should be. Some unions deserve to be put under pressure.

Rugby has become so cosy for the top countries. They have all seemingly forgotten that competition inspires performance. During the World Cup, a Nations Championship was announced that split countries into two tiers and promised promotion and relegation, but not until 2030.

All this will do is maintain the status quo when change is needed.

Wales finished bottom of this year’s men’s Six Nations, failing to win a game. They should be playing Georgia over two legs later this year to earn their place in the 2025 tournament. There should be no fear of doing that because frankly if you can’t win, you don’t deserve a place in the Six Nations anyway. It would make teams hungry for success.

Of course, teams go in and out of form and someone has to come bottom. Without questioning the commitment of coaches or players, I have no doubt Welsh rugby would be operating differently if they faced the prospect of a play-off. The same goes for Argentina and Australia – who consistently trade places at the bottom of the Rugby Championship – if Fiji or Japan were waiting in the wings.

It wasn’t rugby’s traditional way of doing things, but I loved Georgia calling Wales out to face them this autumn in light of there not being an official play-off.

Georgia are a growing rugby force. It was a shame they did not mount a bigger challenge at the recent World Cup, but what can we expect when they are fed crumbs of competitive games against top nations during the intervening years? Recently, their Under-18’s side beat France and ran England very close. With Richard Cockerill as their senior coach, they won’t lack for a motivated leader. I hope they and Wales do meet this autumn because it will provide both sides with an opportunity to see where they are at even if the game won’t change anything officially.

It is not just about Georgia though. Countries like Spain and Portugal also deserve more of a chance.

Hopefully, that will come in time. The hunger any team has to prove their point can be a very dangerous weapon. Just look at Italy. For a long time their place in the Six Nations was rightly questioned, especially when they went on that awful losing run of 36 matches over seven years. The organisers were happy to continue with the status quo of Italy conveniently being their whipping boys. Those same blazers will happily suggest Italy’s recent performances were a result of letting them find their feet over the course of 24 years.

I don’t buy that.

Italy responded to the pressure themselves and in a relatively short time. The Italian union has made significant changes to the country’s rugby pathway system and some excellent young talent is now coming through. After a series of poor appointments, Italy made Gonzalo Quesada their head coach and he has quickly inspired a playing style that has the Azzurri stamped all over it.

Italy recorded their best ever men’s Six Nations in 2024 with two wins and a draw.

I also thought it was significant Azzurri centre Tommaso Menoncello was named player of the tournament as it showed the progress the team has made.

Italy’s hunger and improvement reminds me of when they were pushing for Six Nations inclusion at the time of the millennium. They had a very good team then, as they do now.

In 1998, the Azzurri wanted to show their worth and they nearly did so against an England team I was in charge of. We met in Huddersfield and England won but only just – 23-15.

I see Georgia’s current position as one comparable to Italy’s a quarter of a century ago. They want to prove they deserve a place at the top table but need a chance to do so.

I’m intrigued by how they will fare in their summer matches with Japan, Australia and Tonga – those are great matches for them to prove their worth.

So come on Six Nations, the time is now – open up your doors and give others a chance