Plans to split the RBS Women's Rugby Six Nations into a two tier tournament met particularly high-profile opposition from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Sport - which is co-chaired by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Barbara Keeley - and the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation.

Both wrote to the chief executives of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Rugby Unions asking them to reject the reported proposals with various twitter campaigns also demonstrating the anger against the proposals felt by the players at all levels of the sport.

Following the campaign, rugby bosses on the Six Nations Council decided to retain the tournament's current structure with Keeley expressing her delight at the decision.


"This is a great decision which safeguards the Six Nations as the biggest annual tournament in women's rugby," she said.

"Downgrading the tournament would have been a blow both to the players and to all of the young women who grow up dreaming of representing their country at a national level.

"All those who spoke up against the proposals should be proud of what they achieved and we thank the members of the Six Nations Council for making what we feel is the right decision."

Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation chief executive Sue Tibballs said the decision not to chage the structure of the event was of huge importance to women's sport.

"We are obviously delighted that the RBS Six Nations tournament can now continue to provide the exhilarating and entertaining rugby which is helping to establish its place in the hearts of sports fans.

"While we thank the Six Nations Council for making the right decision today, it is very concerning that the proposal even got this far.

"It is a sign that despite the progress women's sport made during the Olympic and Paralympics last year, many women's tournaments are vulnerable and there is still work to be done to ensure their potential is maximised."

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