European rugby chiefs are calling for a radical restructuring of the domestic leagues as part of the negotiations over the new global calendar from 2019, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

It is understood that plans under consideration would mean that the English and Pro 12 domestic fixture lists would be redrawn to ensure that the European Champions and Challenge Cups pool matches are played in one extended block during December and January.

The plans also include staging the quarter-finals of both European tournaments before the start of the Six Nations Championship to allow more than two months to market and sell tickets for the semi-finals, which have been problematic fixtures in recent seasons.