Since Italy entered the tournament in 2000, expanding it from the Five Nations to the Six Nations, the minnows have finished bottom of the pile on a dispiriting 18 occasions. They have claimed the unwanted wooden spoon 18 out of 26 times, in other words finishing last almost 70% of the time. In that same period, they have won just 16 out of 130 matches, losing 112 (over 86%) and their best finish is fourth, though more often than not, when avoiding the wooden spoon it has been by finishing fifth.
When they were admitted into the championship it was hoped that regular matches with superior teams would raise the standard of the game in Italy but there has been little sign of that. They finished rock bottom eight times in a row between 2016 and 2023 and at various times in that period there were calls for them to be replaced by another team.
It was argued that they had been given their chance and had โ repeatedly โ failed to take it and that perhaps it was time for another strong nation from beyond the elite to be given the opportunity to show what they were capable of. Many questioned whether Italy were even the sixth-best side in European rugby and felt that, at the very least, some sort of play-off should be introduced between the weakest country from the Six Nations and the strongest beyond it.
Argument Resurfaces Stronger Than Ever… But with a New Target
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง’๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐คฉ
๐ซ๐ท @FranceRugby ๐ซ๐ท#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/M1yVPfJZvn
โ Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025
We said that Italy had finished in last position in several tournaments in a row up until 2023. But since then, in 2024 and 2025, they have managed to avoid the wooden spoon. This is the second time in a row that they have finished fifth or better two years in a row, with Scotland beneath them in 2012 and France rock bottom the following season.
This time around though, it is the same team that has picked up the wooden spoon in the two seasons that Italy have managed to avoid it. That team is Wales, and the issue of a play-off has very much reared its head once again. Wales were woeful beyond belief at the most recent Six Nations, setting a host of unwanted records.
Wales No Longer the Top Dog
Wales, who saw coach Warren Gatland leave mid-tournament, lost all five games and accrued just three bonus points (one try and two losing). They conceded a massive 195 points, scoring just 76, their -119 points difference being substantially worse than Italyโs -82. On average Walesโ opponents scored 39 points per game against them and they opened and closed the tournament with particularly humiliating defeats.
First up they were thrashed 43-0 by eventual Six Nations winners, France. Three more defeats followed, including against Italy. It is a sign of just how bad Wales have become that a clash with the traditional minnows had become a make-or-break fixture and in the end they lost 22-15 in Rome.
They saved the worst till last though, as England, their most hated rivals, put them to the sword, winning 68-14 in Cardiff on a dark day for Welsh rugby. England scored 10 tries in a record defeat for the hosts in the Welsh capital. It was the most points Wales had ever conceded at home, their worst loss in Six Nations history and the most points they had ever conceded against England. It was also a 17th consecutive loss for the proud rugby nation, a truly staggering run of results that is the worst for a top-tier nation since the sport turned professional.
Is It Georgiaโs Time?
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Wales are, on paper if nothing else, officially a tier-one nation in rugby union. But on the pitch, where matches are won (and in Walesโ case, lost), they are decidedly not. They have dropped to 12th in the world rankings, marginally ahead of Japan, Samoa and the USA, with Spain โ yes, they do have a rugby team โ not all that far behind either.
Crucially though, Wales are now ranked lower than Georgia and trail Italy as well: that pair are ranked 11th and 10th respectively according to World Rugby. The Six Nations, and before that the Five Nations and the four-team Home Nations, have traditionally been a closed shop. There has never been โrelegationโ, with the teams that take part fixed, irrespective of results.
Rugby Growing in Less Traditional Nations
However, as said, given Italyโs poor performances in the past, and a desire to grow the sport in less traditional nations, giving some countries with less established rugby cultures a chance to play better sides, there has long been talk of introducing some form of Six Nations demotion. This has never happened and as far as we know, never been particularly seriously considered, so we cannot say exactly how it would function.
Some have suggested that the side that finishes bottom does not take part the following year, whilst others have suggested that that team should face a play-off for the right to play. There are many regular tournaments in world rugby, with the Rugby World Cup and Six Nations being the most well-known, at least in the northern hemisphere.
However, for smaller European nations beyond the elite (we donโt mean Wales, pipe down at the back), the key tournament is the Rugby Europe International Championships. This sees tier two and tier three nations (essentially most teams beyond the Six Nations) compete annually. It has changed structure and format a number of times but Georgia have generally been the dominant force in the 21st century.
The former Soviet nation has won 17 Championships since 2000, with Romania next on five. They have also finished second on a further five occasions. Moreover, Georgia have now won six in a row and 14 of the last 16. Since 2000 they have won over 86% of their games in the competition, with Romania the best of the rest at less than 68%.
Georgia Continues to Improve…
On the back of Walesโ dreadful performances over the last 18 months or so, and Georgiaโs continued improvement, the Georgian head coach has said that he feels his side deserves a play-off clash against the Welsh. Richard Cockerill, a former Leicester and England hooker, rightly argued that his team are probably too strong for the International Championships and need a tougher test if they are to improve.
Georgia beat Wales in Cardiff in 2022 and Cockerill questioned Wales getting โfree rein to turn up next year and play.โ He said that it was โlogical we get the opportunity to have a play-off.โ and added that it would be โthe richest game in World Rugby – Georgia versus Wales at some point in the near future to see who plays in the Six Nations for the next tournament.โ He argued that the game would provide real jeopardy and be “a game people would want to watch.”
It is very hard to argue with any of that but, of course, Wales, Italy, and perhaps the other tier-one sides, would be reluctant to risk their revenues. It will be interesting to see what happens next, that is for sure.