World Rugby has attempted to soothe fears from Wales and the rest of the Six Nations they could face relegation if fresh plans to bring in a Nations Cup tournament get off the ground.
But its newly re-elected chairman Sir Bill Beaumont outlined a situation where not all Six Nations countries may be in the top tier of a so-called Nations Cup.
The quest to start a 24-team tournament which would take place every year outside of World Cup campaigns was discontinued last June following strong opposition from northern hemisphere stake-holders.
Beaumont, speaking in a virtual press conference, revealed a modified proposal was back on the agenda.
He said it was part of wide-reaching proposals to bring the northern and southern hemispheres together and revitalise Test rugby.
“I think there is an appetite to revisit the Nations Cup and that could involve the two Test windows we have currently got,” explained the former England and Lions captain.
“Currently our windows are in November and July but I think there could be an appetite for putting the two together.
“There are representatives from the northern and southern hemispheres doing that.”
Beaumont stressed: “These are very much in the embryo stage at the moment but people are talking.
“The north would go south in one month and immediately afterwards the south would come north but, bearing in mind we have to take all stake-holders with us, the club and European game.
“Within that you could have a competition between all the countries that play in those two windows and, also, sitting below that, a subsidiary competition which involves all the emerging nations playing at the same time.
“You could well add promotion and relegation into that competition.”
Asked if that would include the Six Nations with Georgia leading the call for an up-down system to be introduced, Beaumont replied: “That hasn’t been discussed.”
But he added: “That would not be the intention currently but, who knows, there might be an appetite from the Six Nations.
“The Six Nations is owned by the Six Nations, the Rugby Championship is owned by Sanzaar [South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina unions].
“What we will try and do is bring in any new competition that keeps the Six Nations a stand-alone competition.
"But there could well be an instance, and this is my own view of it, in the Nations Cup where maybe not all the Six Nations teams are playing in that competition at the top level.”
Beaumont poured scorn on a report the Six Nations could be moved to later in the year in a revamp of the global calendar.
He believes the July and November Test windows would be the ones more likely to be changed to bring uniformity.
“Why would you move the Six Nations?” he said, before pointing out: “It’s not having an effect on anybody else’s window or the global calendar.”
