Sam Warburton believes Wales could be threatened with Six Nations relegation

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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.

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.’"

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."

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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.

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

RUCK 5/10: "Adams hit a milestone, running out for his 60th appearance for Wales. The 29-year-old is another player who has been a welcome return for Gatland’s squad for this Championship. The Cardiff Rugby player is a scoring machine, having crossed the whitewash 21 times for 105 points. But he couldn't make much of an impact as he never really got given the ball."

Rugby Pass 3/10: "Huge shot on Pierre-Louis Barassi showed he was up for the fight, but that attitude boiled over at one point as he screamed at the referee. Was caught out of position by Dupont, who chipped over his head to set up Attissogbe’s opening try. Found himself similarly exposed for Les Bleus’ second try, but that was just a result of wave after wave of French pressure. Will be sick of the sight of Attissogbe’s heels and backside."

Wales Online 5/10: "The Cardiff wing got exposed defensively on a few occasions and missed an early tackle on his opposite number Théo Attissogbé which put Wales under severe pressure"

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Was given a bit of a torrid time on his wing, although it wasn’t really his fault. Put in one big hit on defence but was then slightly embarrassed by Thomas Ramos for Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s first try."

Replacement: Blair Murray

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Shifted to No. 8 in Aaron Wainwright’s absence and made some astute carries from the back of the scrum when France were trying to exert pressure. Couldn’t replicate the attacking output that Wainwright would provide though."

Wales Online 5/10: "Tried hard and offered himself as a carrier while he put a shift in defensively. But failed to slow down the speed of the home sides ruck ball."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Quiet from the blindside, who struggled to impose himself. Was more evident in the second period but he couldn’t quite compete physically."

Replacement: Tommy Reffell

RUCK 4/10: "Cardiff Rugby’s Lloyd couldn't have asked for a much harder first start for Wales as he was thrown straight into the deep end at the Stade de France. In the Autumn Nations Series, Wales’ lineout success was at 85.4%, the second-best of all competing Six Nations sides. However, the hooker was shown the Championship’s first yellow card after making a high tackle, and that sin bin proved costly. Despite all this, he was decent at the lineout but let himself down with the yellow card."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Yellow carded for a dangerous tackle- Wales with 15 players were struggling, 14 made it almost impossible for them. Did not seem to be in sync with his lineout jumpers at times, but took on a lot of the ball-carrying responsibilities."

Wales Online 5/10: "Started well with a couple of powerful carries while his darts were accurate. But was very lucky not to receive a red card after his shoulder made direct contact with the face of Louis Bielle-Biarrey."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Lineout went smoothly but his yellow card for his high shot on Louis Bielle-Biarrey proved costly as France scored two tries while he was off the field."

Replacement: Elliot Dee

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