Sam Warburton believes Wales could be threatened with Six Nations relegation

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Sam Warburton has once again called for a relegation match in the Six Nations, insisting that even if Wales finish with the Wooden Spoon, they should have to fight for their place in the competition.

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After a humiliating 43-0 thrashing by France in their opener, Warren Gatland's side now face a crunch clash with Italy in Rome this weekend – a game that could determine whether they avoid finishing bottom.

Warburton sticks to his guns

Speaking on the latest episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, the former Wales captain didn't back down from his long-held stance that the Six Nations should introduce a relegation play-off, giving Georgia – serial winners of the Rugby Europe Championship – a shot at the top table.

“Elephant in the room,” Warburton admitted. “I bet there’s some people listening to this podcast thinking, 'I bet you don't want a relegation battle now, Sam, do you?' But I said this when Italy were losing every year – there should be a play-off.”

“If you asked me now, 'What do you reckon, Sam?' – absolutely. I'm not sitting here saying Wales are untouchable. It would be brilliant TV. I know what people will say – 'It would ruin the game financially if Wales drop down, they'd have to play Portugal, Russia, Spain.'”

“It would be amazing rugby”

Warburton acknowledged the financial consequences but insisted the drama would be worth it.

“Yes, the financial drop-off would be massive. Maybe there would need to be some sort of balloon payment to soften the blow. It would be catastrophic for regional rugby, I get that. But all I'm saying is the drama and the opportunity for Georgia – because they've won it so many times – would be amazing.”

PREDICTOR GAME:

You will receive points if either/both of your predictions occur during the live match.

POINTS

5 Points: Total Tries Correct
15 Points: Time of 1st Try Correct

A winner will be selected from those with the most points at the end of the game week

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Four players Wales must drop – and who should replace them

With Warren Gatland's team completely outclassed in Paris, questions are already being asked about his selections. Here are four players who should be axed ahead of Wales’ next match.

Ben Thomas

Rugby Pass 5/10: “Cannot be faulted for trying to play with width, but he was not without errors in doing so and a few poor decisions- particularly a strange first-half chip when Wales were in a promising position. Looked more comfortable when shifting to inside centre, where he proved to be slightly more threatening when attacking the line.”

Wales Online 5/10: “Showed glimpses of his attacking threat in the first-half with a couple of half-breaks while his kicking out of hand was decent. But Wales’ attack ran out of ideas in the second-half, albeit behind a beaten pack.”

Planet Rugby 5/10: “You can see the potential but once again it was a mixed bag from the playmaker. There were a few good moments early on but he became ragged and took some poor decisions as Wales unravelled in the Six Nations opener, despite getting more playmaking support when Dan Edwards came on for Watkin in the first half.”

Replacement: Dan Edwards

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