Should The 6 Nations Go Back To The 5 Nations

Mossy Monk · 09-03-2003 5:54pm #1

let's face it, Italy are ****. only 2 wins since they entered it. it is basically points in the bag for their opponants. with the exception of when they beat Scotland and Wales

Bounty Hunter · 09-03-2003 6:06pm

How could anybody justify removing Italy from the competition when Wales not Italy(will)look like getting the wooden spoon.

Italy's involvement also makes the competition more financially succesful and gives fans more matches to enjoy

Italy are only a developing Rugby nation and rugby in italy is starting to gain popularity they look like they can and so far have only improved

For these reasons i think it would be madness to exclude italy from the competition

MarVeL · 09-03-2003 6:15pm

For 50 minutes the Italians dominated just about every phase of play and outscored the number 1 ranked team in the world. I would imagine the Scots (who they currently lead on the 6N table IIRC) to be quite concerned about the upcoming game, particularly as they are playing England beforehand in what usually is a very physical game.

In short absolutely not the Italians have more than earned their place. Remember how poor France were when they first joined the competition? Imagine the loss to world rugby if they had been left out!

gandalf · 09-03-2003 9:27pm

No defiantely not, they are in this competition on merit. I didn't see todays game but any of the ones I've seen them play in they played with guts and courage.

Gandalf.

mike65 · 10-03-2003 12:00am

Italy get better every year, so it would be plainly unfair to dump them out if say Wales were allowed to stay. The other notion doing the rounds - a two tier 6 Nations is also a very bad idea.

Mike.

fisty · 10-03-2003 12:10am

leave them in.

PH01 · 10-03-2003 9:36am

Kick Italy out?! No way. not when Wales and Scotland are turning out all kinds of substandard stuff.
Italy are a developing side and are getting better all the time. And I have in no doubt that in 10 years time Italy will be winning 2 or 3 matches in the 6 nations regularly.

the fnj · 10-03-2003 11:57am

They should stay in, once rugby start's taking off in Italy they might even get a few Italians on their team.

Yavvy · 10-03-2003 2:52pm

The irish Mafia has read your post ( i emailed it to them)

Mafia@ireland.com

and they are comming to "chat" with you. could you please pass on your home address and times when you are there.

thanks

But really, They have more potential than Wales. Look at the size of the country. If Rugby takes off they will have a huge pool of players to draw from and could endup being one of the rugby greats in 10-20 years

Spiderbaby · 10-03-2003 5:37pm

KEEP ITALY!!! Sure weren't France crap when they joined fisrt, now look at them, they're less crap. And just because we are one of the best teams in the world now lets not forget how bad we were a few years ago when we couldn't even score a try. The italians have like scored in every match so far!!!!
So Keep those Handsome Devils In the 6 nations!!!!!!!!

jonno · 10-03-2003 5:49pm

Although they have a few sub standard players it does not mean they should be kicked out. I think they have improved alot since their first year in the competition. I think it is a great competition as it stands. Also someone mentioned that it was points in the bag for any team playing them. Well what happened to Wales then. Italy are showing alot of potential with some very good individuals.

SO KEEP 'EM IN

Dempsey · 10-03-2003 6:36pm

Originally posted by Spiderbaby
KEEP ITALY!!! Sure weren't France crap when they joined first, now look at them, they're less crap

Get Italy five more years to develop and the won't be a easy match in anyone's book. France were in Italy's position when they joined, look at them now.

PH01 · 11-03-2003 9:49am

9 out of 10 cats prefer that Italy say in the 6 Nations.

Yes, Get Rid Of The Italians 1 4.55%
No, Keep The Italians 20 90.91%
I Don't Care, Does It Really Matter? 1 4.55%

Total: 22 votes 100%

Hairy Homer · 11-03-2003 10:28am

With all due respect etc etc What a stupid idea!!!

Rugby is a growth sport in many central and Eastern European countries. Some time in the future there will be a proper European championship as there is in soccer.

The question for the Great Powers at the moment is do you want such a championship to develop independently of the Six Nations or do you want the SN to evolve into such a championship gradually. Why not choose the latter?

Ask some old timers who support soccer. (Very old timers who remember the 1940s and 1950s) They will tell you that way back then there was no European championship and even the World Cup was looked upon as an impertinent second-rate competition for nancy boy foreigners. The REAL championship was the Home International Championship _ soccer's equivalent of the Triple Crown_which was competed for annually by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland/N Ireland (The politics of soccer on our divided island being much less harmonious than those of rugby)

Anyone remember the home international championship now? I think they stopped playing it in the early 1980s when crowds had dwindled to nothing.

We could do the same ie kill off the Six Nations by ignoring the growing sport elsewhere or we could do what we have been doing: embrace, encourage and extend the existing championship to those who have shown they are competitive with the teams already in it. Like the Italians.

Italy will have won the SN/European championship by 2020. (a damn sight quicker than it took France to do so)

the fnj · 11-03-2003 2:20pm

Originally posted by Hairy Homer
Italy will have won the SN/European championship by 2020. (a damn sight quicker than it took France to do so)

That's a big statement may be worth a bet all the same. Must make a note in my diary to look this thread up after the 2020 Six(or more) Nations.

Hairy Homer · 11-03-2003 4:59pm

Originally posted by The FANJ
That's a big statement may be worth a bet all the same. Must make a note in my diary to look this thread up after the 2020 Six(or more) Nations.

I'll gladly take a pint off you in 2020.

If I'm still alive.

Better make that a pint of Horlicks.

spanner · 11-03-2003 5:20pm

i know we need to keep italy in so as to develop rugby as a european game but that cant be great for the italians going into every game and knowing they stand little or no chance,

but i guess it was the same as when we were going out in the 90s

MarVeL · 11-03-2003 5:53pm

I don't think Italy believe they are going to be hammered in every game. They have a reasonable chance of finishing in 4th place this year. That means they are better this year than Scotland or Wales. Confidence has to be building in the Italian side (particularily after the last 3 quarters against England where they dominated the supposedly best side in the world). Definitely a side in development (as opposed to the disarray in the Welsh game)

Bounty Hunter · 11-03-2003 9:55pm

I Was the first to reply to this thread and i believe i did before the end of the England, Italy match.

therefore its likely Mossy Monk posted this at half time when england had just ran in 33points in 23mins i believe this may have effected his judgement

at this point Italy were still failing to adjust to the pace and Englang were fulfilling their potential(something which Ireland still have to do) and were tearing them apart.

Italy steadied the ship in the second half and look on top for large peiods, they are too much of quality team(who are still only developing) to be kicked out.

Mossy Monk · 13-03-2003 12:26am

my idea has been heavily hammered. and probably rightly so. i was watching the England v Italy game and i was really pissed off that i see this every game that Italy play, with the exception of those 2 victories and this thread was probably a heat of the moment thing

Borzoi · 14-03-2003 6:27pm

G'wan the Azzuri

It would be a poorer tounemant without them, and I look forward to when there's a wider European championship.

just though, we used to make a bigger deal of the triple crown, now it's just a side comp, (like the Calcutta Cup), just shows how much the six nations has grown.

adecartref · 24-03-2003 5:46pm

As a welshman I read this thread with some trepidation - I thought it might be us that needed to be booted out of the competition!

Great game on Saturday, great fun on Friday too. On my train home from work a local girl was celebrating her birthday with her friends (probably off to Cardiff from Swansea for a night out) and was beautifully serenaded by the Irish fans on the train. I can't imagine any other set of supporters being able to have so much fun without even a hint of it getting out of hand or making the women feel uncomfortable.

You lot are a class act on and off the field - good luck for Sunday.

Mossy Monk · 25-03-2003 2:37am

vice versa with the Welsh. i love it when you lot come over for the 6 nations. always a good time to be had

dmeehan · 26-03-2003 6:11pm

when did france join the 5 nations?

MarVeL · 26-03-2003 9:01pm

A quick google gives us 1910 as the year although I believe there were friendies involving France before that

Here's a decent looking history of the 5 nations site

suppafly · 26-03-2003 11:00pm

I think they should definetly keep them. They have done nothing but improve on previous performances. They didn't do so bad againist england either when they started playing the tight game.

Should The 6 Nations Go Back To The 5 Nations

Should The 6 Nations Go Back To The 5 Nations 36 votes

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