GEORGIA COACH Milton Haig has called for a Seven Nations after watching his side put in a solid showing in Friday’s 43-10 defeat to New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup.
Despite making a plethora of changes to his starting XV, Haig’s men trailed the world champions just 29-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining at the Millennium Stadium before a late All Blacks surge.
Advertisement
Last month Romania coach Lynn Howells spoke of his desire for a two-tier Six Nations with promotion and relegation to give opportunities to supposed weaker teams.
And Haig is also keen for his team to be allowed to mix it with Europe’s best on a yearly basis.
“The Seven Nations, it’s certainly something that I’ve been speaking publicly about every opportunity I get,” New Zealander Haig said.
“Something like this is absolutely crucial for us because in the long run if we develop into a competitive national side consistently, that’s the kind of competition we need.
“You can see by Argentina’s progress and inclusion in the Rugby Championship how far their team has come along.
“We understand it’s a very difficult decision for the six partners to make, but I think it would grow the game globally and it would open up a big market in eastern Europe. It’s something they should consider.”
Has the World Cup shown that the Six Nations should be expanded? The Georgia coach thinks so
GEORGIA COACH Milton Haig has called for a Seven Nations after watching his side put in a solid showing in Friday’s 43-10 defeat to New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup.
Despite making a plethora of changes to his starting XV, Haig’s men trailed the world champions just 29-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining at the Millennium Stadium before a late All Blacks surge.
Last month Romania coach Lynn Howells spoke of his desire for a two-tier Six Nations with promotion and relegation to give opportunities to supposed weaker teams.
And Haig is also keen for his team to be allowed to mix it with Europe’s best on a yearly basis.
“The Seven Nations, it’s certainly something that I’ve been speaking publicly about every opportunity I get,” New Zealander Haig said.
“Something like this is absolutely crucial for us because in the long run if we develop into a competitive national side consistently, that’s the kind of competition we need.
“You can see by Argentina’s progress and inclusion in the Rugby Championship how far their team has come along.
“We understand it’s a very difficult decision for the six partners to make, but I think it would grow the game globally and it would open up a big market in eastern Europe. It’s something they should consider.”
Watching the All Blacks struggle last night made POC feel better about 2007
‘Players forced to retire are two and a half times more likely to report some mental health problem’
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Six Nations Georgia New Zealand Rugby Union Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup 2015 rwc 15 RWC 2015 seven nation army Seven Nations? World Cup