A concept for a ‘European Championship’ has emerged with eight teams set to compete in what could be a newly formatted tournament.
Despite the new tournament featuring eight teams, countries would still only play five matches, which is the same as the current Six Nations format.
Two pools of four would be followed by a semi-final and grand final to crown the champions of Europe.
There would also be a relegation play-off with one team dropping out of the tournament each year.
The groups for the first year would be based on current World Rankings.
POOL 1
- France
- England
- Wales
- Italy
POOL 2
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Georgia
- Spain
If the groups ended like this the following round would be:
Semi-finals:
- France vs Scotland
- Ireland vs England
Relegation play-off
- Wales vs Spain
- Georgia vs Italy
And then the final day would be:
Final: France vs England
Third place play-off: Scotland vs England
Fifth place play-off: Wales vs Georgia
Relegation play-off: Spain vs Italy
QuizMakerEDITORS PICKS:
- England team to play Australia: Third test line-up
- Ollie Chessum handed first start in expected England XV
- 5 Standout Ireland U20s Players At The Six Nations Summer Series
- Warren Gatland picks Eddie Jones replacement
- Toulon have bid for England flanker Tom Curry turned down
Ranking Each Six Nations Team’s Fanbase
The guys over at Host A Fan have attempted to rank the home nations fan bases.
They’ve based their ranking, from most important to least, on six different categories:
- Home Stadium Atmosphere
- Passion
- Away Support
- Online Public Vote
- Anthem & Other Songs
Read their full analysis and ranking by CLICKING HERE.
Or check out the brief ranking below:
#6. France – 4.3
They said: “Oh non, non, non! C’est un fixe! Zose bastards voted for Brexit anyway!
“Romance, liberty, enlightenment. Let’s face it, there are lots of things we associate with our continental neighbours, France, but rugby just isn’t one of them.”
#5. Italy – Score: 4.4
They said: “We can see the hand-waving mamma mia, the margherita pizza throwing and the endless Italian rant now but come on, it’s not that you’re not passionate, patriotic and dedicated, it’s just that maybe not quite as much as the other patrons here. Oh and come on, rugby is nowhere near your main sport – you’re much better at football!”