"The Women's Six Nations should be a contest, not a fiesta”

Far from being reined in by their rivals, the Red Roses are pulling further away. It's time to create a two-tier Women's Six Nations, says Stephen Jones

- STEPHEN JONES

SIT TIME to abandon, temporarily, the current Six Nations system? That is the key question for the growing appeal of the sport. No panic. But there is a problem. Once the opposition in a match reaches 50 points, you really are in a mess. Anything above that is a fearsome hammering and an eminently forgettable match. So how do we compute defeats in which the opposition scores 90, and 88.

The 90 came as the biggest humiliation in the history of Gloucester rugby club, when their men’s team conceded that much while barely putting up any sort of contest against Northampton Saints towards the end of the Gallagher Premiership season.

And in many ways it was equally chilling when the Red Roses beat Ireland 88-10 in the Women’s Six Nations and again raised the debate about one-sided games and different standards. There were two longish periods in that game in which England scored every time they won possession.

It was a happy and festive afternoon at Twickenham with a fine crowd and the ball in play. The England back three, led by the devastating Ellie Kildunne, were absolutely uncatchable. Red Rose speedway. Parts were brutal.

Clearly, it was not quite so good for the Six Nations tournament, nor for the television channels broadcasting it live. Of course, everyone supporting the rise of women’s rugby would be delighted to have it on the box in the first place, but we are now at a stage where simply showing the women’s sport in prime-time slots is not enough. We now need a contest, not a fiesta.