Morariu: Expanding Six Nations a no brainer
Octavian Morariu, president of Rugby Europe, has called on Georgia and Romania to be admitted to the Six Nations in the future.
Rugby Europe president Octavian Morariu says the integration of Romania and Georgia into the Six Nations is a "no brainer" of a decision to help develop the game.
The performances of both Tier Two nations at the Rugby World Cup has seen Morariu lead the calls for them to be integrated into the Six Nations in the future.
Georgia claimed two victories in Pool C at the World Cup – against Tonga and Namibia – while Romania also enjoyed their sixth victory in the competition's history when they fought back to beat Canada 17-15.
With the progress clear for Morariu to see, the Romanian feels now is the time for the Northern Hemisphere nations to begin the integration process that he believes will benefit European rugby.
"It's a no-brainer what I am saying," Morariu told Omnisport. "What they need is strong competition and good fixtures – these are the conditions [for them] to develop.
"Georgia and Romania need more fixtures against Tier One countries, this is the first step before going straight to the Six Nations.
"We need to work together – Rugby Europe and the Six Nations – and seek for more integration of these countries. We don't want to damage it [the Six Nations] so we need to be very careful when talking about promotion and relegation or expanding.
"That's a wish and an aspiration. It's a legitimate one and a goal, but we need to go very carefully down this road."
Morariu says the progress of Italy and Argentina are prime examples of integrating nations into established tournaments, and is confident his proposal will be well accepted by the northern powerhouses like England, Wales and Ireland.
He added: "Italy are the perfect example as are Argentina down under, look at the progress of Argentina.
"Georgia and Romania have confirmed their progress over the last couple of years, they have lots of merits I would say, they deserve a lot of attention for what they did.
"They reached this level without playing first tier countries, so it is easy to imagine what these countries could do if they are given the chance to play regular fixtures against tier one countries.
"I expect and hope to have very open discussions and productive ones with the unions and Six Nations.
"If we can set a clear path that could lead us all to an improvement of the competition, more fixtures, more integration of Romania and Georgia it could be beneficial for everyone."