Octavian Morariu, the president of Rugby Europe, expects to meet Six Nations officials in the coming weeks to push for countries such as Georgia and Romania to become part of the mainstream.
Morariu believes that the impressive showing made by the second tier nations at the World Cup has created a momentum for change that the Six Nations will be unable to ignore. “The question is not whether countries in Europe outside the Six Nations have greater contact with the tier one nations, but when,” he said. “Georgia and Romania showed in the World Cup that they need to be exposed to the next level regularly, but we also need a pathway for the likes of Germany, Spain, Portugal and Russia.
“This is not about looking to storm the Six Nations and damage what is a great tournament which is the showpiece of European rugby. We are not saying that it should be expanded or that there should be promotion to it from the level below, but that there is a need to grow the game in Europe and give everyone something to aim for.
“I do not think the Six Nations will run away from this or stick their heads in the sand. I am hoping to meet with them in the next few weeks to discuss how to grow the game in Europe. It is not a question of having a debate because it has already started. It is now about how it is concluded.”
The body administers the game in mainland Europe but does not have a say in the running of the Six Nations, which has remained unchanged since Italy were admitted in 2000. No appetite has been shown for expanding the tournament or introducing relegation or promotion.
“It is about enhancing the Six Nations,” added Morariu, a former Romania No8. “The World Cup gives some countries an exposure which they have to wait four years to repeat. We have seen in this tournament how standards have improved and you cannot let the genie half out of the bottle.
“Japan set the tone on the opening weekend and every second tier nation was able to take something out of the tournament. Namibia and Uruguay did not win a match, but they showed they had become more competitive and it is important for all those teams to have better fixtures in between World Cups.
“It is all about ways of trying to the teams who do not play in one of the two senior international tournaments. We are not saying that Georgia or Romania are ready to play in the Six Nations, but they should have something to aspire to rather than only be allowed to go so far.
“Rugby is played in 48 countries in Europe. The commercial opportunities are enormous because you are talking about a population of 200m. I think those who run the Six Nations are open-minded and at the top of the game there is now greater representation on the executive committee of World Rugby which is no longer run by eight unions.
“The game is becoming more open and the World Cup has shown just how much there is to build on. We want to add, not take away, and the fact that the record for the highest attendance at a World Cup match was broken this year in a game involving Romania shows the opportunity we have.”
