The Nations Championship, which will be contested by the world’s top tier international teams for the first time this year, is a welcome idea.
It puts some order into the international calendar by bringing European and southern hemisphere competitions into one entity.
The inaugural tournament starts in July with southern hemisphere sides hosting their northern hemisphere counterparts in three rounds of single tests, which replace summer tours.
It continues in November in Europe with a further three rounds of matches, plus a finals weekend – this time at Twickenham – replacing the autumn...