Six Nations competition could be scrapped in favour of a pan-Continental annual contest at under-20 level within the next two years while confidence is growing within European rugby’s governing body that Olympic exposure to genuine global sport will accelerate the process of opening up the senior competition.
Speaking exclusively to HeraldSport on the eve of the British leg of this weekend’s Rugby Europe sevens at Exeter which features two Great Britain teams trying to emulate what Russia did in the men’s event when winning on home soil in Moscow, Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe and International Olympic Committee member, suggested that rugby’s involvement, through sevens, in Rio would help the sport better understand the wider opportunities available to it.
“The Olympics will definitely help because it is the largest stage in the world. More people will come to know rugby, come to love rugby and come to play rugby,” he said.
“I think the rugby world and the people involved in managing rugby will realise what being a global sport is. The players will be mixing in the Olympic village where they will come across, come to know and become friends with athletes from 205 countries and when you realise that there are more than 200 countries and a spread of medals across more than 100 countries in all these different sports then the people in rugby will realise that there is a margin we need to close.
“We are talking about closing the gap between (rugby’s) Tier One and Tier Two countries, but we will realise that we need to close the gap between us and other sports.”
Morariu has been campaigning to open up the closed shop that is the Six Nations with Georgia in particular, but also his native Romania having demonstrated their potential at World Cups, while Rugby Europe plays a huge role, taking responsibility for organising more than 200 international fixtures every year.
Commercial considerations have repeatedly been cited as an impediment to integration with the Continent’s top tier sides, but he rightly believes that the way Italy has increasingly contributed on that side at a time when money coming into the Six Nations has continued to increase, shows the benefit of taking a longer, more strategic view.
“I think they (Six Nations organisers) understand that for the game to progress we need to evolve,” Morariu observed.
“We cannot be the same game as 100 years ago because the world around has changed dramatically in that time and we need to change as well and find new opportunities including commercial opportunities which is the thorny subject. Saying it is not possible is not the way forward. The way forward is to see how it is possible.
“To open the competition is vital because people expect things to change and we must change.”
In saying so he accepts that the calendar at senior level is set up until the 2019 World Cup in Japan but is hopeful of movement soon thereafter and reckons the under-20s can be used to create a new, more inclusive template for European rugby.
“We should aim for regular fixtures between Georgia, Romania and perhaps Russia with the Six Nations (at under-20 level by 2018, 2019,” said Morariu.
However he noted that the sport risked being seen to be failing many countries if it does not do more to support those that are poised to break through.
“We also have a strong focus on getting the European Tier Two countries like Georgia and Romania to play the European Tier One countries,” he said.
“This is also very important for preparation for the next World Cup. We cannot let Georgia and Romania play only one or two Tier One countries over four years because that would not help them in their preparations.
“Georgia is travelling to Scotland in the autumn and Romania are going to Italy next year. Georgia has already travelled to the (Pacific) Islands in June and had a very good tour there. They drew against Samoa and won against Tonga and Fiji, so these are very encouraging results. Romania are going on the same tour next year, so little by little they are getting these games.”
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