Portugal’s Rugby World Cup campaign has ended at the pool stage. However, the country’s rugby team found its way into the hearts of rugby fans around the world. Thanks to several remarkable performances against Georgia and Fiji in particular, they even managed to avoid finishing at the bottom of the group.
So, based on the team’s performances at the Rugby World Cup, should they be allowed to compete in more elite rugby competitions such as the Six Nations?
How did Portugal perform at the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
Portugal ultimately finished Pool B of the Rugby World Cup in fourth place, behind Wales, Fiji and Australia but ahead of Georgia.
However, this only tells half of the story. After all, pundits roundly predicted that Portugal would finish at the bottom of this group and not earn a single point. Instead, they earned a valiant draw against Georgia in a game they were unlucky not to win. They then followed this with a famous victory over Fiji, who actually qualified for the quarter-finals.
After qualifying through the repechage tournament, Portugal were widely expected to be the whipping boys of Pool C. However, they were actually competitive in every game and only lost to Wales and Australia by 20 points each. They also registered their first ever win in the competition when they defeated Fiji 24-23 in their final pool game. Unsurprisingly, they returned home to a hero’s welcome, with hundreds of fans waiting for them at the airport.
Should the Six Nations Championship expand to include other European countries?
So, the question now remains: how can so-called ‘tier 2 teams’ like Portugal and Georgia improve further?
Well, one idea is to expand the current format of the Six Nations Championship, which currently only includes England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy. However, giving teams like Portugal, Georgia or even Romania a seat at this table isn’t straightforward and might not be beneficial in the long run.
After all, Italy were the last team to be admitted to the tournament. Since they joined in 2000, they’ve only actually won 13 matches and have been on the other end of some painful defeats. So, although adding Portugal to the Six Nations would provide them with greater exposure and experience, it would also likely lead to many punishing defeats.
As a result, although Portugal’s successes at the Rugby World Cup should be celebrated and the country should try to play in some one-off internationals against the likes of England and Ireland on the back of their current form, there’s a lot more they need to do before they can reasonably ask to join the Six Nations.
Hopefully though, this is only the first step on the country’s path to becoming a rugby powerhouse. All being well, we can have the same conversation again in 2027 after Portugal have reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
