RugbyRebels

Imagine if France & Spain allowed Catalonia and the Basque Country to play international rugby like Scotland & Wales. How strong would they be and how much would that weaken France and Spain themselves? Catalonia doesn't extend very far into France, but it does include the crucial rugby stronghold of Perpignan. The Basque Country also lies mostly south of the border but has two important rugby towns in France - Bayonne and Biarritz. Like Perpignan, these are small cities currently playing in division II, but which have all won national titles in the past. In fact, Biarritz won 3 championships in the last decade, while Perpignan's most recent title was in 2009. Catalonia has 2 clubs in the Spanish 'Division de Honor,' both mid-table. The Basque Country has 4, all toward the bottom of the table, last time I looked. Catalonia has a population similar to Scotlands of 7 million, all but a few hundred thousand in Spain. The Basque Country's is comparable to Wales at about 3 million. The biggest cities in these regions are Barcelona and Bilbao, respectively, both in Spain. They have actually played in the past, Catalonia's most recent hit-out being a narrow win over Portugal last year. The Basque national rugby team hasn't played since 2006, when it narrowly beat Catalonia.