New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen has criticised the Six Nations for not helping the global game by not backing the Nations Championship.
England and New Zealand have met just once since 2014, and this will be their first meeting at the World Cup since 1995.
Hansen said that the Nations Championship would have been a good way for the teams to play more often. The Six Nations committee rejected the proposals because they wanted to secure their own commercial deals and were against promotion and relegation.
Asked about the rivalry between the two teams, he said: "I think South Africa is always going to be our biggest rival because of all the history that comes with it and because we play each other so regularly,” he said. “I think we've played England once in the last six years so it's hard to build a rivalry when you don't play each other.
"If we could get the Six Nations to come on board for a global season, we'd be able to do that. Once they do that, then they're starting to think about the game rather than themselves. There's a headline for you…”
