Rugby Europe International Championships

The Rugby Europe International Championships is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations.

Rugby Europe International Championships
Current season, competition or edition:
2019–20 Rugby Europe International Championships
SportRugby union
Founded1936 (predecessors)
2016 (current format)
No. of teamsSee below
ContinentEurope
Most recent
champion(s)
 Georgia
Most titles France (25),
 Georgia (12),
 Romania (10)

The tournament is split into 5 levels, each with 5 or 6 teams. Its highest level is now called the Rugby Europe Championship and, unofficially, referred to as the Six Nations B. All levels play on a one-year cycle, replacing the old format of a two-year cycle, with the teams playing each other both home and away. From September 2016, there will still be an annual champion, however a format change means each year sees teams promoted and relegated between the levels.

History

International championships before 2000

Following the exclusion of France from the Five Nations Tournament after the 1931 edition, France joined with Italy, Romania, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands, and Catalonia to create the International Amateur Rugby Federation (FIRA, now Rugby Europe) as an alternative to the International Rugby Football Board (now World Rugby). Three tournaments were held from 1936-1938, with France winning all three. Following the Second World War, France was readmitted into the Five Nations Championship, but they also competed in the only two tournaments organised by FIRA, the Rugby Union European Cup, held in 1952 and 1954, winning them both.

From 1965, FIRA attempted to revitalise the European competition by creating the FIRA Nations Cup (1965-1973) and then the FIRA Trophy (1973-1997); however, France fielded a France A side made up mostly of university students. While the French students won many of the tournaments, Romania also had their share of tournament titles. In the late 1990s, the championship became irregular, with some editions not taking place because of qualifications for the World Cup. Finally, the European Nations Cup began in 2000, no longer including France and Italy, as they now played in the reformed Six Nations Championship.

European Nations Cup: initial format (since 2000)

2019-20 Rugby Europe International Championships
Key
Six Nations
Championship
Trophy
Conference 1 North
Conference 1 South
Conference 2 North
Conference 2 South
Development
Others

After the setup of the divisional system in 2000, Romania won the first competition with maximum points, The initial season also included Morocco.

Russia then replaced Morocco in 2001 when Georgia secured the title and were crowned champions after a 31–20 win over Romania in Bucharest. As the competition format changed from a one-year tournament to two-years, the Netherlands were not relegated after this season.

Romania started 2002 trailing Georgia after the 2001 results, but managed to win all of the remaining five games, including a 31–23 victory in Tbilisi.

Portugal were 16–15 winners over Romania in Lisbon and installed themselves at the top of the 2003–04 table. In the second half of the competition, Romania won 36–6 against Portugal in Constanța, but went down 24–33 to Russia in Krasnodar. Then Portugal clinched their first title with a last-minute 19–18 home win over Russia. The Russia – Czech Republic game was rescheduled due to bad weather and was eventually cancelled.

The 2005–06 championships also served as a qualifying pool for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Romania triumphed finishing level on points with Georgia, while Ukraine were relegated after losing all matches.

The 2007–08 edition saw the return of the Spanish to the top division. The winners were Georgia, following their display at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The Russians recorded their best ever placement, finishing in second. The Czech Republic were the team to finish on the bottom of the table, losing all of their matches, relegating them back to Division 2A.

A new format was decided at the beginning of 2009. Each calendar year had its own champion, but the cumulated ranking over two years determined which team was relegated. The 2009–10 edition was also basis for European qualification to the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The 2009 season saw the début of Germany in the top division, Georgia defended their title, and there were wins for Portugal and Russia in Bucharest.

Faced with the possibility of missing a Rugby World Cup for the first time, Romania were managed the 2010 title. This feat was however not enough to overtake Georgia and Russia, who helped by their good results from the previous year, gained the automatic qualification for the 2011 RWC, leaving Romania to go through the Play-Off Qualification Rounds. Germany were relegated after failing to win any games.

Georgia won the 2011 edition, after beating Romania 18–11 in Tbilisi. The promoted team, Ukraine, lost all but one of their matches, single win over Portugal.

European Nations Cup: second format (from 2010 to 2016)

For the 2010–2012 competition (and promotion and relegation between groups going forward to successive competitions), the top two divisions (previously 1 and 2A) were redefined as 1A and 1B, both having six teams (previously six and five). The next four levels (previously 2B, 3A, 3B and 3C) become 2A-2D, under the new system, with the remnants of Division 3D making up the initial group of teams labelled as Division 3. In principle, each division is to encompass a different type of competition.

In Division 1, groups have six teams (meaning more matches and thus more travel), a significant fraction of the players are assumed to be professional or semi-professional (meaning that fixtures are, as often as possible, scheduled within the IRB's international fixtures time windows when clubs must release players for national duty), and only one team is promoted and one relegated every two years (meaning that the competitions are more stable).

In Division 2, groups have only five teams each (usually meaning one home match and one away match in the Autumn, and the same in the Spring, for each team), it is assumed that the majority of players are amateurs (meaning scheduling is not as limited), and in addition to the traditional automatic first-promoted-last-relegated system, fourth place from the higher pool will play second place from the lower pool after every two-year competition, with the winner taking the position in the higher pool. From a five-team group, one team is promoted, one team is relegated and two teams play in playoffs. Thus, a maximum of four of a pool's five teams could change from one two-year competition to the next.

In Division 3, a single-location, short-time-period (one week or 10 days) tournament is organised once per year. This minimises travel costs for teams and time-off-work requirements for players, and allows the flexibility of having a different membership every year, rather than requiring the membership to be constant over two years. The best performing team over two years of tournaments is promoted to Division 2.

In the year of transition to the new system (2010), there were no relegations from any division below the highest, because the second-highest (old 2A, new 1B) was expanded by one team.

International Championships: new format (from 2016)

From September 2016, the European Nations Cup became the Rugby Europe International Championships, made up of five levels or divisions:

  • Level 1 - Championship. The top six ranked European teams outside the Six Nations contest the annual title. Replaces the former Division 1A.
  • Level 2 - Trophy. The next six ranked European teams bid for the Trophy title. Replaces the former Division 1B.
  • Level 3 - Conference 1. Division 2, A through D, becomes the new Conference level, where twenty teams are separated into two Conferences made up of ten teams each, based on their previous year rankings. Each conference is then split into two, North and South, where teams could change each year depending on the competing teams - nations closest to boundary moved from North to South and vice versa each season as necessary to geographically balance the conferences.
  • Level 4 - Conference 2
  • Level 5 - Development. Replaces Division 3.

A promotion and relegation play-off system is maintained across all levels every year, moving away from the two-year system in place since 2003, meaning teams will be promoted and relegated every year.[1]

The best two teams in the 2022 Rugby Europe Championship will qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the third team will qualify for its final qualification tournament in November 2022.

Current divisions and standings (2020–2021)

Key
* Champion of the 2019–20 season
Team promoted from the division below after the 2019–20 season
Division champion but team not promoted after the 2019–20 season
Last place of division but team not relegated after the 2019–20 season
Team relegated from the division above after the 2019–20 season
Championship Pl W Pts
 Georgia *000
 Spain000
 Romania020
 Portugal000
 Russia000
TBC000
Trophy Pl W Pts
TBC000
  Switzerland000
 Ukraine000
 Poland000
 Lithuania000
 Germany000
Conference 1 North Pl W Pts
 Czech Republic000
 Hungary000
 Luxembourg000
 Sweden000
 Latvia000
Conference 1 South Pl W Pts
 Croatia000
 Malta000
 Cyprus000
 Slovenia000
 Israel000
Conference 2 North Pl W Pts
 Denmark000
 Moldova000
 Austria000
 Finland000
 Norway000
Conference 2 South Pl W Pts
 Bulgaria000
 Turkey000
 Andorra000
 Serbia000
 Bosnia and Herzegovina000
Development Pl W Pts
 Slovakia000
 Estonia000
 Montenegro000
 Belarus000

Updated through 6 February 2021

Predecessor tournaments

FIRA Tournaments (1936–1938)

Year Host city Winner Second place Third place
1936 Berlin
France

Germany

Italy
1937 Paris
France

Italy

Germany
1938 Bucharest
France

Germany

Romania

Rugby Union European Cup (1952–1954)

Year Winner Second place Third place
1952
France

Italy

West Germany
1954
France

Italy

Spain

FIRA Nations Cup (1965–1973)

Year First Division Second Division Champion
Winner Second Third Relegated
1965–66
France

Italy

Romania

Czechoslovakia

Portugal
1966–67
France

Romania

Italy

Portugal

Czechoslovakia
1967–68
France

Romania

Czechoslovakia

Poland
1968–69
Romania

France

Czechoslovakia

West Germany

Poland

Italy
1969–70
France

Romania

Italy

Czechoslovakia

Morocco
1970–71
France

Romania

Morocco

Italy

Czechoslovakia
1971–72
France

Romania

Morocco

Czechoslovakia

Spain
1972–73
France

Romania

Spain

Portugal

FIRA Trophy (1973–1997)

Year First Division Lower Division Champions
Winner Second Third Relegated Second Division Third Division
1973–74
France

Romania

Spain

Poland

Morocco

Italy
Not held
1974–75
Romania

France

Italy

Czechoslovakia

Poland
1975–76
France

Italy

Romania

Netherlands

Morocco*

Czechoslovakia
1976–77
Romania

France

Italy

Morocco

Czechoslovakia

Belgium
1977–78
France

Romania

Spain

Czechoslovakia

Soviet Union
Not held
1978–79
France

Romania

Soviet Union

Spain

Morocco
1979–80
France

Romania

Italy

Morocco

Spain

Tunisia
1980–81
Romania

France

Soviet Union

Poland

West Germany

Portugal
1981–82
France

Italy

Romania

Morocco

Sweden
1982–83
Romania

Italy

Soviet Union

West Germany

Poland

Czechoslovakia
1983–84
France

Romania

Italy

Poland

Morocco

Spain

Tunisia
Not held
1984–85
France

Soviet Union

Italy

Spain

Portugal

Netherlands
1985–87
France

Soviet Union

Romania

Tunisia

Portugal

Spain
Not held
1987–89
France

Soviet Union

Romania

Spain

Poland

Bulgaria
1989–90
France A**

Soviet Union**

Romania**

Poland

Spain

Andorra
1990–92
France A

Italy

Romania

Germany

Morocco

Sweden
1992–94
France A

Italy

Romania

Poland

Croatia

Georgia

Moldova
1995–97
Italy

France A

Romania

Netherlands

Serbia and Montenegro

Ukraine

Hungary

Austria

* Promoted to First division
** Champions of First division

FIRA Tournament (1996–1999)

Year First Division Lower Division Champions
Winner Second Third Relegated Second Division Third Division Fourth Division
1996–97
Spain

Portugal

Poland
Not held
1997–98 Not held
Latvia

Luxembourg

Austria
1998–99
Russia

Germany

Croatia

Denmark

Switzerland

European Nations Cup (2000–2016)

Year First Division Lower Division Champions
Winner Second Third Relegated Second Division Third Division Fourth Division
2000
Romania

Georgia

Morocco

Russia

Czech Republic

Slovenia
2001
Georgia

Romania

Russia

Poland
Not played [2] Not held
2001–2002
Romania

Georgia

Russia

Netherlands
 [3]
Czech Republic

Slovenia
2003–2004
Portugal

Romania

Georgia

Spain

Ukraine

Moldova
2004–2006
Romania

Georgia

Portugal

Ukraine

Spain

Latvia
2006–2008
Georgia

Russia

Romania

Czech Republic

Germany

Sweden
2008–2009
Georgia

Russia

Portugal

Germany [4]

Ukraine

Lithuania
2010
Romania

Georgia

Russia
2011
Georgia

Romania

Portugal

Ukraine [5]

Belgium

Sweden
2012
Georgia

Spain

Romania
2013
Georgia

Romania

Russia

Belgium [6]

Germany

Netherlands
2014
Georgia

Romania

Russia
2015
Georgia

Romania

Spain

Portugal

Belgium

Estonia
2016
Georgia

Romania

Russia

Rugby Europe International Championships (since 2016)

Year Championship Trophy Conference 1 Conference 2 Devel­opment
Winner Second Third Relegated Winner Relegated Winner Relegated Winner Relegated Winner
2016–17
Romania

Georgia

Spain

Portugal

Ukraine

Czech Republic*

Malta

Luxembourg

Cyprus

Hungary

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkey

Slovakia
2017–18
Georgia

Russia

Germany

Portugal

Moldova

Lithuania*

Malta

Latvia

Andorra

Luxembourg

Cyprus

Estonia

Bulgaria
2018–19
Georgia

Spain

Romania

Germany

Portugal**

Czech Republic

Ukraine*

Malta

Moldova

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Latvia

Slovenia

Slovakia

Turkey
2019–20
Georgia

Spain

Romania

Netherlands

* Promoted to Trophy
** Promoted to Championship

Statistics

Including events since 2000.

All-time table

PldWDLPFPAPDAVPPGPtsWin%Champs
 Georgia 1008341330941153+194130.9433583%12
 Romania 1007222630271298+172930.2729072%5
 Russia 945134024641945+51926.2121854%0
 Spain 903245418422159−31720.4717635.56%0
 Portugal 853534715841865−28118.6415241.18%1
 Czech Republic 2960233621075−71312.484020.69%0
 Germany 3531314381594−115612.51278.57%0
 Belgium 253121378816−43815.122112%0
 Netherlands 151014139652−5139.27176.67%0
 Ukraine 201019201997−79610.05155%0
 Morocco 53029469+2518.801160%0
ENC champions

Performance by team

Nation Winner Runner-up Third Place
 Georgia 1251
 Romania 574
 Portugal 103
 Russia 036
 Spain 031
 Germany 001
 Morocco 001

Records (since 2000)

Division 1A

Titles
Top division appearances
  • 19 (joint record) –  Georgia (2000–present),  Romania (2000–present)
Wins
  • most wins overall: 83 Georgia
  • most home wins overall: 44 Georgia
  • most away wins overall: 39 Georgia
  • most consecutive wins overall: 23 Georgia (16 March 2013 – 19 March 2017)
  • most consecutive home wins: 29 Georgia (14 February 2009 – present)
  • most consecutive away wins: 14 Georgia (16 March 2013 – 19 March 2017)
Draws
Losses
  • most losses overall: 54 Spain
Points
Games without a loss
  • Longest unbeaten run: 29 Georgia (25 February 2012 – 19 March 2017)
  • Most consecutive games without a loss home: 36 Georgia (14 February 2004 – present)
  • Most consecutive games without a loss away: 14 Georgia (11 February 2012 – 19 March 2017)
Games without a win
  • 17, joint record –  Ukraine (20 November 2004 – 17 March 2012),  Germany (15 November 2009 – 27 February 2016)

Other trophies

Several other trophies are contested within the main competition, mostly as long-standing fixtures between pairs of teams.

  • Viriato Cup: Portugal versus Spain. The most recent Viriato Cup match was a draw, meaning Spain retained the trophy (2013)
  • Trophy of the Two Iberias: Georgia versus Spain. The most recent Trophy of the Two Iberias match was won by Georgia (2020)
  • Treasure of Lipovens: Romania versus Russia. The most recent Treasure of Lipovens match was won by Russia (2020)
  • Antim Cup: Romania versus Georgia. The most recent Antim Cup match was won by Georgia (2020)
  • Moscow Gold: Russia versus Spain. The most recent Moscow Gold match was won by Spain (2020)
  • Coltan Cup: Portugal versus Belgium. The most recent Coltan Cup match was won by Portugal (2020)
  • Trajan's Column: Spain versus Romania. The most recent Trajan's Column match was won by Romania (2020)
  • Suebi Bowl: Germany versus Portugal. The most recent Suebi Bowl match was won by Portugal (2019)

See also

References

  1. Press Release - Rugby Europe AGM Twickenham, July 25, 2015 Archived August 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Was played the first round of 2003 Rugby World Cup – European qualification
  3. Was played as the second round of 2003 Rugby World Cup – European qualification
  4. relegation and promotion on two year based ranking
  5. relegation and promotion on two year based ranking
  6. relegation and promotion on two year based ranking
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