FORMER Italy coach Nick Mallett believes World Rugby and Six Nations officials should get their act together and give tier two nations like Georgia a chance.
Mallett, who coached Italy to notable victories over France and Scotland (twice) during a four-year stint between 2007 and 2011, is saddened by their demise but insists it is high time the Six Nations embraced promotion and relegation.
Last week's 41-18 loss to England was Italy's 29th successive Six Nations defeat and Mallett told The Rugby Paper: “I am saddened but unfortunately rugby is by far the most minor sport in Italy. Football is so important that they have little chance.
“Rugby's not strong in Rome, Milan or Florence, it's only in smaller places like Treviso and Parma where there is a culture. Their players are unbelievably courageous but for Italy to compete is almost impossible because they don't have the numbers.
“It was one of the happiest coaching times I had with the Italians because they would play above themselves week-in, weekout and it was a real coaching job because you just didn't have 25 replacements to pick from if top guys were injured.
“Unfortunately, they're really struggling now and I think in professional sport you have to have a promotion and relegation situation to provide incentives to sides like Italy at the bottom and other teams looking to come in.”
Mallett explained: “Every result must matter and if Italy knew there was a play-off against the guys who won the Six Nations B, that would focus minds to be more competitive and win more games – but that's just not happening now.
“Instead, you can predict Italy will lose all their games and take a 40 or 50-point beating on the final day by a team who need a big win to take the Championship.
“There needs to be greater incentive for Italy to improve and also for Georgia, Russia, Spain or Romania to win the B-competition and know there's a possibility of getting into a play-off to win promotion – that's how you will grow the sport.”
Mallett believes World Rugby must also show more ambition to place Japan and the Pacific Island teams into tier one competitions, as well as insisting on traditional powerhouses like England, New Zealand and France sharing their matchday revenue.
He said: “There has been a lot of dissatisfaction with the way World Rugby has been running things but there's been a review of governance now and it's important that they do allow the likes of Japan, Georgia, Fiji and others the chance to flourish.
“They need the opportunity to play in big money-making games and if you have a game between England and Fiji at Twickenham with 80,000 there, it cannot be right that the Fijians get just £75,000 from a game that generates around £6m or £7m.”
By NEALE HARVEY
