Six Nations CEO John Feehan said that relegation from the tournament "will not be introduced in the short to medium term," according to the BBC. Georgia and Romania have been "pushing to be included in the top tier of European rugby." Feehan is "keen to keep the status quo and dismissed relegation talk." He said, "In the short to medium term there is not any genuine likelihood of that happening." Italy was added to the old Five Nations tournament in '00 and "propped up the table 11 times in the 17 tournaments since." But Feehan "dismissed any immediate prospect of relegating the Italians." He said, "Some comments are very unfair about Italy. We think they have been a good addition to the Championship since they have entered. They have improved dramatically but other teams have improved dramatically -- it's a relative thing." The Six Nations also "employed bonus points for the first time" although a side that wins the Grand Slam is "guaranteed to win the tournament." Feehan: "If you look at the Six Nations, it is inherently unfair because some teams have three home games and other teams have two home matches in any given year and there is an imbalance" (BBC, 1/30).
