Is there any promotion/relegation system for the Six Nations? I'm still learning rugby culture, and I don't even know how many other nations might be interested or able to take over a spot.
Really interesting methodology on the regional tournament inclusion criteria. The Egypt example shows how tricky it is to weight regional dominance against global competition, especially when they consistenly lose close quarters at major tournamets. The fact that they're rated second globally but got eliminated by 1 goal at both Olympics and Worlds kinda validates the scoping logic. It's a delicate balance between inclusivity and meaningful rankings.
Very much a closed shop at the moment (expect to hear 'tradition' a lot from people defending the status quo) but basically the rest of Europe want an opportunity to join. There is a Rugby Europe championship that has multiple divisions and sits below the 6 Nations, but there's no pathway between them. As Ben noted, Georgia are the dominant non 6 Nations team but there has been no invite to date for several reasons (not in the old boys club, limited political influence in rugby circles, location). Portugal and particularly Spain are gaining and more likely to be invited at some stage.
Is there any promotion/relegation system for the Six Nations? I'm still learning rugby culture, and I don't even know how many other nations might be interested or able to take over a spot.
Not currently, but it’s a contentious issue! Georgia are often the ones cited as being most deserving of a shot, but I think the travel means it would be difficult: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/26/six-nations-georgia-romania
Really interesting methodology on the regional tournament inclusion criteria. The Egypt example shows how tricky it is to weight regional dominance against global competition, especially when they consistenly lose close quarters at major tournamets. The fact that they're rated second globally but got eliminated by 1 goal at both Olympics and Worlds kinda validates the scoping logic. It's a delicate balance between inclusivity and meaningful rankings.
Very much a closed shop at the moment (expect to hear 'tradition' a lot from people defending the status quo) but basically the rest of Europe want an opportunity to join. There is a Rugby Europe championship that has multiple divisions and sits below the 6 Nations, but there's no pathway between them. As Ben noted, Georgia are the dominant non 6 Nations team but there has been no invite to date for several reasons (not in the old boys club, limited political influence in rugby circles, location). Portugal and particularly Spain are gaining and more likely to be invited at some stage.