The IRFU have devised a revolutionary blueprint for the future of club rugby. Letters are expected to arrive at every senior club in the country in the next 48 hours outlining the union's plans to sustain and nurture the All-Ireland Leagues. The IRFU agreed the proposals at a committee meeting last Friday night.

The central premise is that there will be three divisions and not four, each comprising of 16 teams and divided into two conferences. Matches will be played on a home and away basis. To arrive at that format within three years the IRFU have drawn up the following stratagem. Starting this season, the team that finishes last in Division One will enter a play-off against the team finishing third in Division Two.

The Division Two champions and runners-up will automatically be promoted. At the end of next season the IRFU will be in a position whereby they will have 16 clubs in Divisions One and Two and will then simply amalgamate the old Divisions Three and Four into the new one. Once the figures balance they will set about implementing the new structure.

The 16 teams in Division One - it will apply in the two others as well - will be divided into two conferences of eight clubs and will then play each other on a home and away basis. It is probable that the top two clubs in each conference will meet in divisional semi-finals, followed by a final. The three divisional finals could then be played at Lansdowne Road in a single afternoon, marking an end-of-season gala for the clubs.

How the IRFU divides the clubs for conference purposes has not yet been established and is something that will require the wisdom of Solomon. What the IRFU are hoping is that the new structure will give the club game renewed momentum and make it a marketable product, enjoyed by both sponsors and those who support the game.

The union is also known to favour a radical new opening to the club season in which provincial cup campaigns would be played. These competitions would take place at the same time that the provinces were involved in the fixture schedule, including interprovincials and European Cup matches.

The All-Ireland Leagues would not begin until after Christmas and with the exception of international weekends would not have any distractions in terms of long breaks. The whole competition could be run off in 15 weeks, less than four months. Weather conditions should also be more conducive to entertaining rugby and the drudgery of glue-pot pitches should not be as familiar.

The clubs will be the ultimate arbiters of whether this new format will be implemented and they will be invited to respond to the proposals.