Rugby leaders to decide on future global calendar

A two-tier men's tournament in July and November has been proposed for alternate years.

It is also understood the Six Nations Championship could lose one of its rest weekends to accommodate a longer November international window.

World Rugby said "player welfare" was high on the agenda.

Representatives from World Rugby, the British and Irish Lions, the Six Nations, and the Rugby Championship, along with stakeholders from International Rugby Players (IRP), the unions and professional leagues all attended.

Talks are expected to continue, and any decisions will have to be ratified by the World Rugby Council in October.

Despite World Rugby stating "promotion and relegation being a goal for the global calendar", it is not thought it will be included in the early years of the competition, which will take place during years without a World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour.

The Six Nations will continue to be a standalone tournament without any promotion or relegation.

It will be played in the existing July and November Test windows in alternate years, outside of British and Irish Lions tours and the World Cup.

Two more unions will be invited to join, with plans to introduce promotion and relegation from 2030 via a second-tier competition run by World Rugby.

Organisers say the move will "drive growth and long-term sustainability".

Six Nations and Sanzaar organisers said there would be a "transparent selection process" to choose two more teams from the southern hemisphere to ensure there are six from each.

Although no format has been confirmed, reports suggest teams from the north would travel south for three Tests in July and then host three games in November.

The Six Nations would remain in its current February-March position on the calendar and the Rugby Championship would still be played in August-September.