Georgia have overtaken Wales in the World Rugby rankings and coach Richard Cockerill believes the achievement warrants a playoff for a place in the Six Nations championship.
“Opportunity is what we’re after,” Cockerill told Daily Mail as the Lelos have climbed to 11th in the rankings, one place ahead of Wales who are mired in a 14-game slump.
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A former England hooker, Cockerill advocates for a playoff system where the Six Nations wooden spoonists would face the second-tier Rugby Europe champions, offering Georgia a chance to earn their place in the prestigious tournament.
Georgia has dominated Rugby Europe, winning the last seven titles, but the competition’s quality is starkly illustrated by their 110-0 victory over Switzerland, and Cockerill believes that for his Lelos to progress, they must face top-tier nations.
“We need to play at a higher level to be tested and to learn from losing,” he said, questioning the logic of the current ranking system that elevated Georgia above Wales on the basis of a victory over the Netherlands, with the Dragons going down to Italy.
“Opportunity is what we’re after. If Portugal won Rugby Europe and not us, they should be offered the same chance. It’s not just about Georgia saying: ‘Give us a place in the Six Nations or make it a Seven Nations’. We need to improve as a rugby nation. But we’re not going to do that in Rugby Europe.
“Of course we want to play in the Six Nations. It would take us a while to get used to the quality of the Championship. But the sums of money involved if Georgia were to be in the Six Nations – even if it was only for one year – would be game changing for what we could provide to our national set-up.”
Living in Tbilisi and coaching both the national team and Black Lion, Cockerill is committed to this growth until the 2027 World Cup. He views the mismatch against Switzerland as unhelpful for their development.
“It’s not ideal because when people look at scores like that, they think ‘What’s the point?'”
A potential match against Wales in July could be a turning point, especially with Wales under new interim leadership following Warren Gatland’s exit: “Jeopardy is what sport is about, isn’t it?”
Photo: Levan Verdzeuli/Getty Images
