European Nations Cup (Rugby Union)
Current season, competition or edition: 2016–17 Rugby Europe International Championships
|
|
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| No. of teams | See below |
| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Romania
|
| Most titles |
 France (25), Romania (10), Georgia (9) |
The Rugby Europe International Championships, – sometimes referred to as the Six Nations B or Rugby Europe Championship – is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations.
The tournament is split into 5 levels, each with 5 or 6 teams. 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.
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 beat 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.
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