Georgia's rugby team surged past Wales in the World Rugby rankings, prompting their coach, Richard Cockerill, to advocate for a playoff system that would grant them a chance to join the prestigious Six Nations Championship.
Georgia has surpassed Wales in the World Rugby rankings, prompting coach Richard Cockerill to call for a playoff system to determine a place in the prestigious Six Nations Championship. Georgia 's ascent to 11th in the rankings, one position ahead of Wales amid their 14-game losing streak, has sparked debate about the current qualification structure.
Cockerill, a former England hooker, proposes a playoff model where the Six Nations team finishing last would face the champion of Rugby Europe, the second-tier competition. This would provide Georgia, who have dominated Rugby Europe by winning the last seven titles, with an opportunity to earn a spot in the elite tournament.Georgia's dominance in Rugby Europe is evident, as illustrated by their recent 110-0 victory over Switzerland. However, Cockerill believes that competing against top-tier nations is crucial for the Lelos' development. 'We need to play at a higher level to be tested and to learn from losing,' he stated, questioning the current ranking system that elevated Georgia above Wales based on a win against the Netherlands, while Wales suffered a loss to Italy.'Opportunity is what we're after,' Cockerill emphasized. 'If Portugal won Rugby Europe and not us, they should be offered the same chance. It's not just about Georgia saying: 'Give us a place in the Six Nations or make it a Seven Nations'. We need to improve as a rugby nation. But we're not going to do that in Rugby Europe. Of course we want to play in the Six Nations. It would take us a while to get used to the quality of the Championship. But the sums of money involved if Georgia were to be in the Six Nations – even if it was only for one year – would be game changing for what we could provide to our national set-up.
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