Is It Time For Change In The Women's Six Nations?

Saturday astatine Allianz Stadium, Twickenham saw a thrilling 43-42 spectacle betwixt England and France for nan Women's Six Nations title.

John Mitchell's broadside managed to clasp connected for triumph to unafraid their 4th consecutive Grand Slam and seventh title successful a row.

The title had nan finale it needed, but it besides remained predictable.

It was nan 4th clip successful a statement that some France and England played successful nan last information pinch nan Grand Slam connected nan line.

The decider whitethorn unrecorded up to nan hype, pinch 3 retired of those 4 games finishing wrong a score, but nan spread to nan remainder of nan teams remains vast.

Not since Ireland's triumph a decade agone has location been a tourney victor different than nan Red Roses aliases Les Bleues.

Would a alteration to nan format amended nan competitiveness of nan tournament?

In 2022, nan tourney fixture database changed truthful England and France were guaranteed to play each different successful nan last round.

This differs to nan men's Six Nations, won by France successful March, which has a different fixture schedule each year.

The thought was to support Grand Slam liking live by holding backmost nan apt title decider.

Success has come, pinch last fixtures betwixt Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales besides adding liking arsenic they conflict for places and to debar nan Wooden Spoon.

But nan competitiveness of their games against nan apical 2 is simply a increasing concern.

France, nan past squad to hit England successful nan Six Nations successful 2018, person been little dominant, but person still recorded a afloat location of wins against nan different teams successful each of nan past 4 championships.

England utilized 34 players this run and contempt regularly rotating scored 33 tries and conceded only 5 earlier nan Grand Slam decider.

A logic for nan gulf successful value comes from nan truth England awarded 28 full-time master contracts successful 2019 and that level of finance near nan different nations behind.

Wales began handing retired deals astatine nan commencement of 2022, followed by Ireland successful August 2022, while Scotland announced their master plans astatine nan extremity of that year.

Before nan 2023 Six Nations, Italy announced 22 master contracts had been fixed retired to their players.

Scotland defeated Ireland connected Saturday to extremity their run connected a high, pinch Ireland's item coming successful a hammering of Italy. Italy ran France adjacent and vanished pinch a thumping triumph complete Wales to show signs of improvement.

Under caller caput coach Sean Lynn, Wales mislaid each crippled to prime up nan Wooden Spoon, but will beryllium hopeful of betterment aft nan Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) this period confirmed a revamp of its apical women's teams to create nan pathway and extent of talent.

When asked connected nan BBC's Rugby Union Weekly really agelong it would return for a different victor of nan Six Nations, Scotland caput coach Bryan Easson replied: "It will return clip but I genuinely judge personification other will yet triumph it."

His broadside suffered dense defeats by some England and France, who person overmuch wider subordinate pools because of finance into their home leagues, pinch nan Premiership Women's Rugby convention going from spot to strength.

"The spread will get closer," added Easson. "But it will beryllium a small spot longer than everybody expects successful position of professionalism.

"We've only been master now for 18 months. Wales, Ireland, Italy, and ourselves are each beautiful overmuch successful nan aforesaid boat."

To debar excessively galore one-sided scorelines, BBC Sport's Sara Orchard, speaking connected Rugby Union Weekly, suggested a two-tier strategy wherever teams are classed earlier nan championship.

The thought was backed by erstwhile England fly-half Katy Daley-McLean, who mislaid titles to France and Ireland during her playing days, pinch nan 2014 World Cup-winner saying nan tourney must beryllium "brave" successful trying thing new., external

The Rugby Football Union's head of women's crippled Alex Teasdale told BBC that nan RFU would "listen to immoderate proposals".

"I deliberation Six Nations arsenic a tourney crossed men's and women's is steeped successful that benignant of inheritance successful history and its format is rather special," she said.

"It would astir apt return rather a batch to alteration that. But look, it's nan women's crippled and we want to enactment agile and do what's successful nan champion interests of nan game."

The projected thought would travel a akin format to nan 2021 Six Nations, which was spilt into 2 pools because of Covid restrictions.

Orchard's thought would spot nan number 1 classed squad play location and distant fixtures against those classed 2nd and third, pinch nan 2nd excavation - classed 3 to six - pursuing nan aforesaid structure.

Play-offs past travel to find nan last standings, pinch nan apical squad successful excavation 1 facing nan 2nd squad successful their group for nan Six Nations title.

The broadside who vanished 3rd successful excavation 1 would play against first squad successful excavation 2 for a spot successful nan pursuing year's apical group, while 5th and sixth spot who picks up nan Wooden Spoon.

All those games would return spot connected a triple-header finals time successful nan aforesaid venue that is rotated astir a different federation each year.

"Being nan women's type of nan Six Nations intends you don't person to do it nan aforesaid arsenic nan men," erstwhile Wales skipper Philippa Tuttiett told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I person to work together that nan changes make a batch of consciousness but I don't for illustration it.

"I for illustration nan aspiration, build-up and emotion of conscionable possibly this year."