Rugby Digest: England are backing a proposal to shift the Six Nations Championship to April and May as the global rugby community seeks a solution to the club v country fixture gridlock which is putting unsustainable pressure on the leading Test players, writes Robert Kitson.

Rather than keep the Northern Hemisphere's most famous tournament it in its traditional late winter slot on the European calendar, the Rugby Football Union's chief executive Francis Baron revealed yesterday England, together with Wales, favour a reshuffle which would see the domestic programme completed before the Six Nations gets under way.

"It's not a case of moving it to June or July, we're not talking about that degree of movement," said Baron, among those who persuaded the International Rugby Board to hire the accountancy firm Deloitte and Touche to compile an independent report on the feasibility of a global season.

"I don't think that moving to April/May would dilute the Six Nations at all."

He believes the switch, unpopular with traditionalists who have already seen the competition condensed into late February and March and prefer their Six Nations rugby on crisp winter days, will relieve some of the "pressure points" in the existing schedule and says its commercial value would not be affected by playing the games in early summer.

Among several other proposals being considered by the IRB is for all other Test rugby to be played in late August and September, thus helping to avoid tours by under-strength teams.

Some unions, including Ireland and Scotland, are reluctant to tamper with the successful Six Nations format but Baron insists all concerned should be more open-minded.

"We've all got to be flexible for the greater good," he said.

The RFU, meanwhile, yesterday announced a new five-year deal with Sky covering exclusive live rights to England's home games as well as the Zurich Premiership until 2010.

It has also agreed aimproved financial package for England's squad players after months of haggling.

Guardian Service

SCOTLAND: Scotland could be forced to name a vastly weakened side for next month's first Test against Australia after Premiership clubs were advised against releasing any players for the Murrayfield clash.

That could leave Scotland short of up to half their first-choice side, including locks Stuart Grimes and Craig Hamilton of Newcastle, Worcester's Ben Hinshelwood and Jason White of Sale.

The Test was a late addition to the calendar and is not covered by the International Rugby Board regulation which stipulates the compulsory release of players.

Howard Thomas, chief executive of Premier Rugby, the body in charge of the club game in England, insisted his members were under no obligation to provide players for the Test.

"They shouldn't release the players," said Thomas.

"There appears to be an IRB schedule in which international release is required and there appears to be additional games where that doesn't apply."

The confusion has arisen because the fixture is outside the agreed three-week international window.

The Barbarians fixture against New Zealand on December 4th has heightened tensions further, with three Premiership players already confirmed to run out at Twickenham having ensured a release clause was written into their club contracts.

Mike Catt of London Irish, Saracens' Thomas Castaignede plus Sale and England loose forward Chris Jones have all been confirmed to play.