England’s leading clubs have put forward a radical proposal for the Six Nations Championship to be condensed from seven to five weeks as part of the new global season following the 2019 World Cup, The Telegraph understands.

The plan would mean each ­country playing Test matches on five successive weekends, with the two fallow weekends in the current schedule being scrapped. It would be the biggest overhaul of the championship since Italy joined in 2000.

It is understood that the proposal will be presented to a meeting of rugby’s stakeholders from both the northern and southern hemispheres in San Fransisco next week to negotiate a new global season from 2020.

It was not clear last night whether the English clubs had the support of the Rugby Football Union, whose chief executive, Ian Ritchie, will be part of a three-man Six ­Nations subcommittee at the American summit.

Both Premiership Rugby and the RFU last night declined to comment. However one senior source indicated that none of the plans on the table would be rejected out of hand. “Nothing that has been ­suggested that would significantly affect the Six Nations is a no-go area,” he said.