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Officials from around the world will meet in England in late November to try to put together the elusive integrated global season for the first time.
The International Rugby Board have called in management consultants to oversee a three-day conference aimed at finding a solution to a perennial problem. Nearly 100 representatives from all the leading unions will be brought together with officials of the English and French leagues.
Syd Millar, the IRB chairman, has conceded the crowded calendar reduces the impact of test rugby as top countries too often field weakened teams. "Less may be more."
Millar has promised the IRB will look at the schedule for World Cup seasons after games this year were blighted by matches between below-par line-ups. He is interested in a competition to make the June and November tests more meaningful.
But while the administrators continue to seek the right footing for world rugby, some players are still coming to terms with losing the battle to force their way into squads for the World Cup in France in a few weeks' time.
Wales No 8, Ryan Jones, for example, found himself on the World Cup scrapheap as Wales and England reacted to contrasting fortunes over a trio of No 8s.
While Wales suffered the crushing loss of their most dynamic back row forward, England enjoyed the comparative luxury of confirming Lawrence Dallaglio's recovery from a knee operation and New Zealand-born Dan Ward-Smith's emergence against overwhelming odds as another surprise contender.
For Jones and Dallaglio, it amounted to a complete role-reversal of two years ago when the Englishman's broken ankle during the first half of the Lions' first match of their New Zealand trip paved the way for his unheralded Welsh counterpart to become, arguably, the best British player in a depressingly lop-sided test series.
Now more trouble from the same shoulder which he damaged against the All Blacks has robbed Jones of the chance to test himself on a truly global stage.
He said: "I cannot explain how gutted I am. It is extremely difficult to take but I need to take a long-term view, to make sure that it's right before I play, which means missing the World Cup.
"It's bitterly disappointing but, at 26, it would be completely the wrong decision to try to rush myself back to fitness with a high risk that something could go wrong."
Dallaglio might have expected to clatter into Jones at the first of next month's crop of pre-World Cup friendlies England against Wales at Twickenham on August 4.
"It's a real shame for Ryan," he said. "I feel enormous sympathy for him especially because Wales have a wonderful chance of progressing to the latter stages of the tournament. But one man's disappointment is another man's opportunity."
While Llanelli's Alix Popham will be the chief beneficiary, Dallaglio will be preoccupied with disabusing head coach Brian Ashton of any notion that the old warrior cannot go the full distance at nearly 35.
"All this nonsense about me not going for 80 minutes is just that - nonsense," he said indignantly.
"Can I play for 80? Of course I can. That should not be an issue at all."
Ashton, whose coterie of coaches have been discussing further cuts to the 40-man England squad, will give his most doubtful player, Mike Tindall, no more than another fortnight to complete his recovery from a broken leg.
A full-on practice match featured Ward-Smith, out of the game since breaking a kneecap six months ago.
Ashton said: "Dan's a very determined character and I'm absolutely delighted with his progress. Not that long ago his chances looked less than 50-50 but he's seen a tiny light at the end of the tunnel and now he can see a bigger one."
