Plan for Wales to play in new international rugby tournament in between Rugby World Cups

Talks are set to take place next month aimed at reviving the idea of a World Nations Championship, three years after the concept failed amid promotion and relegation fears.

Chief executives of rugby’s 10 most powerful unions are said to be close to agreeing the structure of a new competition to be held every two years from 2024.

A winner would be crowned every two years in four, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, skipping World Cup and British and Irish Lions years.

Sanzaar chief executive Brendan Morris told the newspaper: “If we can work together for an outcome that produces a global champion every two years, engages our fan bases more than we do now and throughout the year, and provides a pathway for rugby’s emerging nations to improve and progress, then we can be in a much better position to grow our game and take it to the next level.”

Words are fine, but nailing down an arrangement that pleases all of rugby's main stakeholders might still be a challenge.

The format for the new competition that could hit the block would see two 12-team divisions of top-tier and emerging nations with the Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams in the lead section along with two more non-European countries, such as Japan and Fiji.

Every Test in the Six Nations and Rugby Championship and the six extra internationals taking place in the July and November touring windows would be played for World Nations Championship points.

The Six Nations and Rugby Championship would remain as competitions in their own rights but results in them would count for points in the new global event. New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and the other two southern hemisphere countries would entertain three different European countries in July