Georgia have risen to 11th in World Rugby's rankings - one place above Wales, who have dropped to the lowest position in their history after 17 consecutive Test defeats.

The former Leicester forward's side have now won 17 second-tier titles and he says they need a greater challenge.

"We feel we are probably a little bit too strong for this tournament although the other teams are improving, especially Spain and Romania, but for us to improve we need to play at a tougher level," the 54-year-old told the BBC Radio Wales Breakfast programme.

"We need to go and get challenged and we need to lose games. We need to lose games to know what it feels like to play at the level the Six Nations is at, as Italy had that opportunity in the early 2000s.

"We feel we've earned the right, not to be given that place, we want the opportunity to prove that potentially we're good enough to compete on a regular basis at that level."

Cockerill does however admit the prospect of a play-off in the near future is unlikely.

"I don't think so. If you're in the Six Nations you wouldn't want to be voting for that type of play-off, would you?" he added.

"Because it might be you, and the ramifications of not being in the Six Nations, from a rugby point of view but also from a financial point of view, would be very, very difficult.

"It's a bit like a Championship football club getting into the Premiership isn't it? You know it would be the richest game in world rugby.

"That would be a game people would want to watch and the money involved and the profile involved for Georgian rugby would catapult us into a completely different sphere if we were good enough to beat whoever finishes bottom.

"And if we lose, well we re-group, we keep developing and we fight for the opportunity to do that again. I don't see that as an unreasonable request."