Natasha Hunt from the English semifinals says that playing the shortened women’s six nations “suffers” this year.
The changes imposed by the coronavirus mean that each team will play three matches in April, while the men’s tournament is played in its usual format.
2021 World Cup set for delay, there were calls to extend the Women of the Six Nations again.
“It’s not six nations, it’s two games and then the finals,” Hunt told BBC Radio 5 live, Rugby Union Weekly.
“When the announcement came, everyone was announcing it as if it was an amazing thing. But for me, it was failing.
“I totally appreciate the financial burden and how hard it is to run these games. But for me, it’s the one they gave up too easily.”
Six nations announced in February that the tournament would be postponed for two months and teams would be split into two pools.
Each team will play two games in the pool, one home and one away, before last weekend’s placement decisions, and Hunt says the format is “not good enough”.
Players who pay for the operation “unheard of”
Hunt’s participation in the tournament may be a dilemma after suffering a knee injury in the Premier-15’s defeat of Gloucester-Hartpury by Harlequins on Saturday.
The 31-year-old is waiting for further scans to find out the extent of the problem, but she described how happy she feels that her club offers players health insurance for such situations.
Injured hip Wales Alisha Butchers was not so lucky. Club Bristol Bears insurance partially funded the ankle surgery she needed, but the international was forced crowdfund remaining amount.
Hunt described Butcher’s situation as “unheard of.”
“Players who invest everything – working full-time and training as a full-time athlete – have to fund their own operations,” she continued.
“I just think it’s crazy. There have to be minimum standards to ensure players.
“As sad as this is, what has happened has raised alarm bells and unions are investigating it, Wales and England, to make sure there is a minimum standard.”
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