KEY POINTS:
WORLD EXCLUSIVE - The International Rugby Board is looking at a radical shake-up of the test calendar, creating a new tournament that could see the end of the increasingly flawed end-of-season tours.
IRB chairman Syd Millar, concerned about too much test rugby, has suggested that a tournament, held every two years, could be the answer. It would be similar to soccer's European Championship in terms of timing, but would feature only the leading nations of the world.
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"It would enable us to fulfil the needs of unions to produce the necessary finances.
"There are a lot of test matches now compared to what there used to be. But there is a requirement for income. Players have to be paid and rugby is a very expensive game to play with all the back-up staff.
"We have to look maybe at some other formula rather than just have the Southern Hemisphere countries coming here in the autumn and playing a few matches and the Northern Hemisphere sides going to the Southern Hemisphere in May and June."
Millar believes that such a tournament could have many benefits.
"It would solve many things such as concern over player welfare and number of matches. It would create more relevant games and be a more effective way of increasing revenues.
"But people will have to compromise and change to create these things. There is no need to tweak the Six Nations or Tri-Nations to any degree, but we have to look at the autumn internationals and summer tours so there are enough games that generate sufficient revenues."
In a clear warning to many of the leading rugby nations and perhaps also their TV masters, who unwisely added more Tri-Nations fixtures in last year's schedule, Millar said: "We have to be very careful not to diminish the value of tests by having them every day of the week. We have to make them more relevant, and this must be looked at."
A global season, much touted as the solution to rugby's problems, is not possible, according to the IRB chief. But what he calls an integrated season could be within reach if some radical compromises were accepted by all countries.
By the time Millar's tenure ends in November 2009, he believes an integrated season could be in place with myriad advantages for the game.
As 2007 unfolds, the Irishman insists the game is in robust health.
Revenues of over £80 million ($225 million) are expected from the World Cup this year and the television audience is expected to be over 4 billion. A total of 1.8 million tickets have already been sold.
In 10 years, the number of countries playing rugby has increased from 74 to 115. Player numbers worldwide, claims Millar, are up from 2 to 3 million.
All those things, he says, indicate a huge growth in the game.
The prescription
* End to end-of-season tours.
* Creating a tournament, held every two years, similar to soccer's European Championship.
* The tournament would feature only the leading nations.
* No need to change the Six Nations or Tri-Nations.
* Global season not possible.
* Introduce an integrated season.
Peter Bills is a rugby writer for Independent News & Media in London
