IRB Forum: The International Rugby Board (IRB) will place two of the most contentious issues - integrated seasons and inter-hemisphere tournaments - up for discussion at their three-day "global playing season" forum in Woking, England, next week.

Although it is ostensibly a talk shop, there has, assuredly, never been a gathering quite like it.

The objective of the forum, from Tuesday to Thursday next week, is to establish a blueprint for the growth of the game in terms of an annual playing calendar that is "relevant, commercially robust and acceptable to all stakeholders".

Amongst those attending will be IRB council members and representatives from IRB member unions, Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), Premier Rugby Limited (PRL), European Rugby Cup (ERC), Celtic League, SANZAR, Six Nations and Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA), as well as players, coaches, managers, IRB management and commercial agents and consultants.

For example, in addition to Ireland's IRB delegates Syd Millar and Noel Murphy, those travelling over from Ireland include John Feehan (representing the Six Nations and the Lions), John Hussey (IRFU chairman), Eddie Wigglesworth (one of the eight directors of rugby from various unions around the world) and Derek McGrath (chief executive of the ERC).

Coaches/managers in attendance will be John Kirwan, Ian McGeechan, Joe Maso and Jake White, while Richie McCaw, Agustin Pichot and Pierre Spies will represent the players.

IRB chairman Syd Millar made reference to the "historic nature" of the gathering of all the game's stakeholders. "Never before has there been such a forum involving the professional clubs, the national unions, players, coaches and administrators from around the world," said Millar.

Extensive data has been assembled by independent consultants and has, or will be, presented to the gathering in Woking. The forum will be managed on behalf of the IRB by Capgemini, the international IT services and business consultancy company.

"The IRB is committed to finding the best possible season structure and has been working with the national unions on the issue of an integrated season for over two years," said Millar. "This includes analysis of the existing playing calendar and potential new options for an integrated season. Part of this has been the delivery by Deloitte of two critical financial reports sourced from confidential information provided by the game's stakeholders: a financial review of top-tier rugby; and an integrated season financial overview. These two documents along with several options for an integrated season will be at the core of the forum."

Mindful of the decreasing quality of end-of-season tours, be they in June or November, one of the specific matters to be considered is whether to change the current cycle of a World Cup every four years with inter-hemisphere matches in the intervening years. The alternatives being put forward include an inter-hemisphere tournament in each of those three intervening years; an inter-hemisphere tournament every fourth year in between World Cups or, least likely of all, a World Cup every second year.

"The development of an integrated season is not an easy task when you consider the different requirements of clubs, provinces and national unions. Add in the fact that we have a game played across two hemispheres with different playing seasons, the positioning of the World Cup, the need for player rest periods and that we only have 52 weeks in the year, and you have a complex jigsaw puzzle."

Indeed, with so many vested interests in the game (even Max Guazzini, Serge Blanco, Mark McCafferty and Peter Wheeler will be amongst those representing the increasingly powerful clubs of France and England) it's hard to see how such a disparate group of vested interests will agree on much, least of all an inter-hemisphere tournament or doubling the number of World Cups. In addition to the money-making jamboree that Lions tours have become, that is surely gilding the lily.

"If there was an easy solution it would have been implemented some time ago," added Millar, who stressed: "This is not a decision-making forum. However, it will, hopefully, provide a consensus viewpoint for the way forward, one that stakeholders can take back to their various constituents for further review and refinement."

Integrated Season: The Options

Four options were chosen by the IRB executive committee for consideration and to assist further discussion. However, any other options that arise during the forum will also be discussed.

* Scenario 1: current cycle (RWC - IHM - IHM - IHM)

* Scenario 2: potential cycle (RWC - IHT - IHT - IHT)

* Scenario 3: potential cycle (RWC - IHM - IHT - IHM)

* Scenario 4: - potential cycle (RWC - IHM - RWC - IHM).

* IHM = Inter-Hemisphere matches.

* IHT = Inter-Hemisphere tournament.